


Nothing Much To Offer

by saddle_tramp



Series: SPN/Glee Xover of Doom [2]
Category: Glee, Supernatural
Genre: Drama, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Humor, M/M, Underage Sex, mention of past abuse of a minor, mentions of domestic violence, semi-public sexual situations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-28
Updated: 2011-06-28
Packaged: 2017-10-20 19:55:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 155,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/216548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saddle_tramp/pseuds/saddle_tramp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers: all of Glee season one, general pre-series Supernatural but really only as far as knowing who the characters are<br/>Characters: Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman, Kurt Hummel, Quinn Fabray, Burt Hummel, Carole Hudson, Dean Winchester, Mercedes Jones, Finn Hudson, Sam Winchester, full season one Glee cast<br/>Pairings: explicit Puck/Kurt, Dean/Puck, and Puck/Dean sexual situations with mentions of non-explicit Dean/Quinn, Finn/Rachel, Santana/Sam Winchester/Brittany and past Puck/Quinn, Puck/Cougar, Puck/Santana/Brittany, Finn/Quinn, and Mercedes/Puck<br/>Rating: NC-17 for explicit sexual situations</p><p>Warnings: Lots of foul language, explicit underage m/m sexual situations, mentions of past abuse of a minor, mentions of domestic abuse, homophobia, semi-public sexual situations, and mentions of heterosexual sex and girl parts.</p><p>Summary: Puck has known he was bisexual for months, but he never admitted it to anyone except Quinn, and only to her because she’s the one who made him admit it to himself. Seeing Dean come out as bi to their friends makes Puck start to think about what it is he’s really afraid of, and the answer makes him admit a few more truths about himself that change his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Notes: Part of my Supernatural/Glee crossover ‘verse that began with ‘Dancing Days’. The rest of Dean’s story can be found in ‘Cartwheels in the Rain’, ‘Nothin’ But A Drifter’, ‘Kissing An Angel’, and ‘Learning To Live Again’.
> 
> This is a companion piece to ‘Dancing Days’ that I decided to write because I wanted to tell the parts of Puck and Kurt’s story that Dean didn’t know about, but I didn’t want to go back and add them into ‘Dancing Days’ because I think it works better as just Dean’s story. This might make a little more sense if you read ‘Dancing Days’ first, or at least read the beginning of it to set up this story properly. This starts right after chapter two of ‘Dancing Days’ and fills in many gaps in the next four chapters of that story, but I think that this story can easily stand on it’s own.
> 
> Also? I am so not fluent in Spanish, so blame Google if the Spanish in here is totally screwed up. I used the translator to get what anyone needed to say if it wasn’t English, so hopefully it works! What Spanish I do know jived with the translator, so I decided to run with it.
> 
> Son of Note: I began writing this in October of 2010 (Yes, while I was writing ‘Dancing Days’ and at least three other fics!) and like its fic siblings, it took over my life to the point that by February 2011 this behemoth was 150,000+ words and blocked like a very blocked thing. I have tried at least once a week to go back to it since then but it steadfastly refuses to speak to me. I can’t see throwing away so much of a story, especially not when people have been asking me for it, so here it is in all its unfinished splendor of humor, angst, smut, drama, fluff, and drama. (Yes, there’s enough drama to deserve more than one mention. lol It’s the gleeks, they live and breathe drama, especially with Winchesters added to the mix.)
> 
> I’m not used to editing one of my stories and feeling really confident in it, but I kind of love this one, even unfinished. I hope you do too.
> 
> Title from the song ‘Absolute Beginners’ by David Bowie, which begins with these lyrics:  
>  _I've nothing much to offer,  
>  There's nothing much to take.  
> I'm an absolute beginner,  
> And I'm absolutely sane.  
> As long as we're together,  
> The rest can go to hell.  
> I absolutely love you,  
> But we're absolute beginners,  
> With eyes completely open,  
> But nervous all the same._
> 
> I had Puck stuck in my head singing that for days before I gave up and began writing this, expecting it to be about 20k words of how Puck and Kurt actually got together. The story grew a mind of its own though, as my stories often do, and I suddenly had another novel-length story on my hands. And I’m not talking a short novel, either!
> 
> If you read this, I hope you like it. :-)

CHAPTER ONE

 

Puck pulled up in front of Mercedes’ house and immediately got out of his truck, walking around to open Mercedes’ door for her out of habit.

Mercedes hadn’t dated him long, barely a week, but the things she had said to him had lingered long after she got tired of ordering him around. She had insisted on being treated like a lady if they went anywhere together even after they broke up, though, and it had gotten to the point that it had begun to seem odd to Puck _not_ to get the door for her, or any other girl for that matter. It got him odd looks whenever the girl he got the door for happened to be Santana, who had known him better than either of them wanted to admit to since they took each other’s virginity at thirteen, but that wasn’t enough to make him stop doing it.

Puck really didn’t mind the fact it had become a habit for him to treat all girls with a little more respect than he used to. He liked himself a lot more now that he wasn’t trying so hard to be a badass motherfucker in the most literal sense, and he gave a lot of the credit for that to Mercedes. She was one of the few people in his life who would get up in his face and tell him when he was being an ass, whether he wanted to hear it or not, and she had a special place in his heart because of it. She was the only girl he had ever dated without making it past first base, and it had made him respect her a hell of a lot more than he respected the girls who had been eager to put out the first time he kissed them.

Quinn looked amused and fond when Puck opened the door. “Such a gentleman.”

Puck let out a soft laugh as Mercedes grinned at him, getting out and then stepping in close to him as she murmured, “You can be taught.” She kissed his cheek and then started towards her front door as she added, “Kurt won’t be asleep until ten. Just in case you _grow a pair_ and have something you need to tell him.”

Puck watched her go, bemused. “Thanks, Aretha.”

“Good luck.” Mercedes waved to him without looking back. “Night.”

Puck was still bemused as he closed the door of his truck and started back around to the driver’s side. “G’night.”

Puck got back into his truck and started it forward to make his way out of the maze of streets in the subdivision where Mercedes lived. He drove for only a moment before Quinn asked quietly, “Do you want to talk about it, honey?”

“Are you gonna get mad if I say no?” Puck asked quietly, glancing at Quinn.

Quinn smiled and shifted closer to Puck’s side as she reached for his elbow, holding on to it with both hands as she cuddled against his shoulder. “Of course not.”

“Then I’m gonna have to take a rain check on that, momma,” Puck murmured, moving to kiss her temple and then looking back towards the road. “I’ve got some thinking to do.”

“At home, I hope,” Quinn said gently, running one hand along his forearm. “You’ll have to be up at four-thirty.”

“I’ll stay home,” Puck agreed. “I can find something to do until I’m tired enough to crash.”

“Thank you,” Quinn said softly, laying her head on his shoulder as he pulled back out onto the highway to head for home. “I worry about you when you go out alone.”

“I know,” Puck replied, taking his right hand off the steering wheel to lay it on Quinn’s thigh instead, rubbing slowly.

Quinn gave his arm a squeeze and then relaxed against him, leaving Puck to his own thoughts. He tried hard to keep his mind on driving and not think about Kurt, or about the fact he had left Kurt alone with Dean, who was experienced with guys, but he didn’t have much success.

It was kind of like trying not to think about the pink elephant after someone told you it was standing behind you.

 

~*~

 

Kurt ventured upstairs a few minutes after Dean left, and when he opened the door he wasn’t at all surprised to find that Burt was in the kitchen getting a beer. He knew his dad had likely been waiting in the kitchen since just after Dean walked out their front door, hoping Kurt might come up and tell him why the new guy had stayed after the others left. Burt tried hard not to push Kurt to tell him every little thing in his life, but he tried just as hard to be there when he thought Kurt might want someone to talk to, no matter how uncomfortable it sometimes made him.

“You kids get much done?” Burt asked, opening his beer as he leaned back against the counter.

“No, Dad, not really,” Kurt admitted. “When Finn and Rachel didn’t show up, the others decided it wasn’t worth the effort to practice.”

Burt let out a little snort of a laugh. “Explains why I didn’t hear you kids singing, I guess.” He took a sip of his beer and then asked a bit hesitantly, “Who’s the new guy?”

“Dean Winchester,” Kurt replied, moving to the fridge to get out the celery and a bottle of the ranch dressing he made several times a week. “Today was his first day at school.”

“Seemed nice enough,” Burt ventured. “His brother, Sam? Quiet kid, but real polite.”

Kurt nodded, putting the celery and ranch on the counter and then moving to get a paring knife as he gave his dad a quick smile. “Sam’s in most of my classes. He is pretty quiet, but he’s kind of sweet.”

“Dean’s older, then?” Burt asked, looking a little concerned.

Kurt nodded. “He’s a junior. Sam’s only fifteen. He’s really smart from what I heard one of the teachers say today. He makes terrific grades, even though his dad has a job that makes them move around a lot.”

Burt was quiet a few moments, just watching as Kurt broke off a stalk of celery and rinsed it in the sink, then he suddenly said, “I wanna ask you something, but I want you to know first that you don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.”

Kurt stopped what he was doing and turned to look at his dad. “Okay.”

Burt looked at him for a moment and then asked quietly, “Why did Dean stay after the others?”

“Because I asked him to,” Kurt answered without hesitation, amused. He had been sure it wouldn’t take long before his dad had to ask, and it was always nice being proven right. “I wanted to ask him something that I didn’t want to talk about in front of the others.”

Burt looked down, taking a drink of his beer, then looked back at Kurt. “You know I’m here for you, if you have any questions, right? About _anything_.”

Kurt smiled. “Dad, some things you don’t have a clue about, we both know this.”

“And you think that Dean guy does?” Burt asked, looking thoughtful.

Kurt took a moment to think about it before he said very quietly, “I … thought I noticed something kind of surprising earlier, and I needed an unbiased opinion on it to see if I was right. Dean was with us when it happened, so I wanted to know what he thought.”

“And were you?” Burt asked, looking just a bit surprised.

“I’m still not sure yet,” Kurt admitted. “I think so, and Dean thinks pretty much the same thing, but I’m still going to wait and see. We could both be wrong.”

Burt looked at him a minute and then nodded. “Sounds smart, son.” He reached over to pat Kurt’s shoulder gently. “Let me know how it turns out, okay?”

“I will, Dad, I promise,” Kurt said quickly, smiling as he moved to kiss Burt’s cheek. “Thank you.”

Burt flushed. “What for?”

“For being the best dad ever,” Kurt replied, smiling a little wider.

Burt blushed even redder but looked kind of happy. “Glad you think so.” He moved to kiss Kurt’s hair lightly and then headed into the living room without another word.

Kurt was smiling as he went back to trimming his celery and cutting it into narrow sticks. He had homework to do, and he wanted a snack to munch while he worked because he was still hungry. He had only eaten one slice of pizza, even though he loved it, because any more was likely to make his face break out from all the grease.

The only thing worse than watching someone else – tonight it had been Dean – eat the anchovy-topped pizza Burt had ordered just for Kurt would be having to look at pimples in the mirror every day.

 

~*~

 

Puck dried his hands, looking around the kitchen to make sure he had everything cleaned up. He had just finished the dishes and everything was either in the dish rack or put away, and after a moment he folded the towel and laid it on the counter by the sink. He got out one of his mom’s travel mugs and filled it with coffee, putting it on the table next to her purse and then getting a Tupperware dish out of the fridge to put it on the table too.

He had made matzo ball soup the night before and his mom had liked it so much she asked him to let her have the leftovers for her lunches, which had really kind of made his day. It was the first time he tried making it from scratch with his Nana Connie’s recipe, and it had turned out almost as good as hers was. Now that he had made it the right way, he was sure the secret was the chicken fat in the knaidlach mix, or maybe the fact he had roasted two chicken carcasses in the oven to make the broth with. Either way, he knew how to do it again, finally.

Puck moved to the pantry and got out the duct tape, ripping off a piece before he put the roll back and got a plastic spoon out of a box of picnic silverware that was nearly empty except for plastic knives. He moved to put the spoon on top of the Tupperware container, taping it down with the duct tape, then paused a moment before he walked to the fridge again and grabbed a pen off the counter nearby, then added ‘forks + spoons’ to the grocery list that was held on the freezer door by a big rooster magnet. He read over the short list, thinking a moment before he added butter, coffee, and fruit to it, then paused before he added Dr Pepper near the bottom. He didn’t really _need_ it, but he wanted some, and he knew Sarah and Quinn would both enjoy it if he got it.

He tossed the pen back onto the counter and opened the fridge to get a beer out of the six-pack his mom had bought him on Sunday. He headed towards the living room as he opened the can, walking out to lean against the hall doorway as he took a sip of his beer and took a moment to just look at the two girls on the couch. They were two of the most important people in his life – three if you counted Beth -- and he loved seeing them happy and relaxed, especially together. He had done a lot of stupid things in the last few years, but he could count on both of them to always love him anyway, even if they got mad at him for a while.

Quinn was curled up on the couch in one of Puck’s hoodies with her feet tucked up under her skirt, looking tired even as she slept, and he felt a little pang of guilt as he wondered if there was anything else he should be doing to help her that he was missing. He knew that being pregnant was hell on her physically and emotionally, and he was helping as best he knew how, but sometimes he still felt like he should be doing more. He had no clue what else she might need though, and it didn’t do any good to ask her. She would tell him she was fine if she had a broken leg, he was sure. He tried to do some looking around online, but every site he went to had contradicted things Kurt had said that Quinn’s doctor told her so he had given it up as a bad idea.

Sarah was curled up on the couch next to Quinn with her head on Quinn’s thigh, sound asleep with one hand tangled in Quinn’s skirt like she had been holding on to it. She probably had, Puck knew, especially during the parts of the movie when he had heard the girls crying. Sarah had thought of Quinn almost as her older sister long before Quinn moved in, and they had only gotten closer since then. Sarah couldn’t remember not knowing Quinn, who had been one of Puck’s two best friends since before Sarah was born, and she had grown up obeying Quinn just like she obeyed Puck or even Finn. Sarah had been six before she realized that Quinn and Finn weren’t really her siblings, and when Puck had screwed up royally and made Quinn and Finn both hate him, Sarah had missed them almost as much as Puck did.

His mom, Nancy, was in her room getting ready for work, and he could hear her moving around as he leaned against the wall and watched Quinn and Sarah sleep. The end credits for the movie were playing, and he smiled at the vaguely Celtic music, enjoying the steady build and the way the violin and the flutes combined with a stringed instrument he thought was maybe a lute, all over a rich background of orchestral music. He was sure the stringed instrument wasn’t a guitar, or at least not _all_ guitar, but beyond that he couldn’t be certain what it was, just that he liked it.

Puck had already forgotten the name of the movie, and he didn’t bother moving over so he could see the DVD case on top of the television even though he kind of wanted to download the score. The movie was a romantic angst-fest with Redford and lots of horses in it, he remembered that much, but the actual name escaped him completely. Whatever it was, it had Quinn and Sarah both giggling at some points and sobbing like babies at others, so he wasn’t surprised that they had ended up too tired to actually see the end.

Nancy walked quickly down the hall and Puck moved away from the wall to turn towards her, smiling as he murmured, “Your coffee and lunch are on the table with your purse, Mom.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Nancy said softly, giving him a quick, slightly harried smile as she moved past him towards the kitchen.

Puck turned and followed her, pausing in the kitchen doorway to watch as she gathered up her purse, the Tupperware dish, and her coffee. Nancy was dressed in green scrubs, which he knew meant she wasn’t working the nursery that night so she would likely be very bored by morning. The emergency room at the smaller of the two local hospitals was quiet most nights with nothing more exciting than someone with a high fever or a broken limb from a fall, so it wasn’t nearly as stressful for Nancy as working the emergency staff at a hospital in a city like Dayton would have been.

Nancy moved towards the back door, looking back to give him a warm smile as she opened the door. “I’ll be off at six-thirty, so I’ll be home by seven.”

Puck nodded. “I’ll have your dinner waiting. How does lemon chicken with asparagus sound? I can put a couple of thighs in to marinate tonight.” He knew it was one of her favorite meals, so he was pretty sure what she would say.

“That would be wonderful, Noah.” Nancy gave him a quick, pleased smile and then stepped outside as she added, “Good night.”

“Night, Mom,” Puck replied, walking over to lock the door behind her mostly because he knew she was standing outside listening to see if he did. He had enough of a rep in Lima that no one was going to break into their house, not even if he left the doors wide open. All the thugs in town were either in the fight club ring or knew people who were, so they knew Puck could kick some ass when he needed to and that he wouldn’t tolerate anyone messing with his family.

He pulled back the curtain to watch Nancy walking quickly towards her old Buick, which was parked next to his truck, and stood there watching until she was backing out of the yard. She waved at him then and Puck smiled as he waved, then let the curtain fall shut again. He turned off the back porch light and headed back into the living room again, turning off the kitchen light on his way past and then taking a slow drink of his beer as he wished for a Dr Pepper.

Budweiser was okay, but it wasn’t really his idea of a good beer and he would have been just as happy to leave it in the fridge if he wasn’t sure that it would make his mom feel bad. She had bought the beer for him as a special treat for cleaning out her car and washing it for her, so he made sure to let her see him enjoying it, even though he didn’t want it. Evidently she thought Budweiser was just what he wanted, and he loved her too much to tell her he would rather have had a six-pack of Dr Pepper and a bag of Doritos.

The only beer he ever bought for himself anymore was Pabst or Sam Adams, and he didn’t drink even that very often. Ruining Quinn’s life had taken all the fun out of getting drunk. Nancy knew that Puck had been drunk on Jack Daniels whiskey the night he got Quinn pregnant, and he had promised her not to drink hard liquor ever again, but they hadn’t really discussed his drinking habits past that. She didn’t want to know, and Puck was ashamed that he had let a little ‘harmless fun’ with a bottle or a six-pack whenever he could get someone to buy for him nearly turn him into an alcoholic like his dad without him even noticing it.

Puck paused by the hall doorway again when he got there, not really surprised to see that Sarah was sitting up and rubbing her face sleepily. The DVD was over and the television had gone silent because the old DVD player automatically turned itself off at the end of a disc, and sudden silence was always enough to wake her. She was a lot like him that way and he knew it was his fault, a hold over from when she slept in his bed because she was afraid to be alone at night.

Puck had slept with a radio on every night since he was tiny, first because it made it easier for him to sleep through their dad getting home and the inevitable fight or sex that followed, and then later because he couldn’t sleep without it anymore. Sarah was barely old enough to sleep in a real bed when she began climbing into bed with Puck every night claiming she’d had a nightmare, and Puck couldn’t deny her anything so he had let her sleep with him. By the time she outgrew wanting her big brother watching over her while she slept, she had picked up his quirk of not being able to sleep without noise, so Puck had turned up his stereo just enough for Sarah to hear it in the room next to his. The only thing Nancy ever had to do to get them out of bed on the rare occasion she woke them for school was to turn off the stereo in Puck’s room and they would both wake up within a few minutes, wondering what happened to the tunes.

Quinn was still curled up like she had been, but her eyes were open too and she was watching sleepily as Puck murmured, “Time for bed, Sarah.” He took another sip of his beer before he added, “It’s after nine.”

Sarah made a face and got up, looking adorably sleepy and pouting as she walked over to Puck and wrapped her arms around his waist, hiding her face against his shirt as she mumbled, “Night, Noah.”

Puck ruffled her curls with his free hand gently, looking down at her. She was kind of short for her age, but he had been the same way so he didn’t really worry about it even though it made it easy for him to forget she was growing up fast. “G’night, kiddo. Sweet dreams.”

Sarah pulled away, moving towards her room as she said, “Night Quinny.”

“Good night, sweetie,” Quinn replied softly, still sitting on the couch with her feet tucked up under her.

Puck turned his head to watch Sarah go until she disappeared into her room, and then looked back towards Quinn as he murmured, “You should get to bed too, I know you’re beat.”

Quinn gave him a wry little sheepish smile. “I would, but my legs are asleep.”

Puck chuckled and walked over to offer her his beer. “Take this.” Quinn took the beer, looking sheepish still as she held the can in both hands while Puck picked her up, settling her comfortably against his chest. He started towards her bedroom as he said quietly, “Next time just ask for a blanket instead of trying to wad up under your skirt. You know I don’t mind getting one for you.”

Quinn leaned her head against his shoulder, sounding a bit sheepish as she murmured, “You were busy washing dishes.”

“I still would have gotten you a blanket,” Puck pointed out gently. He paused when he got to her bedroom door to wait for her to open it and then carried her in to put her on her bed, sitting down next to her as he asked quietly, “You need help getting ready for bed?”

Quinn shook her head, smiling as she offered him the beer. “I’ll be fine, honey. Thank you.”

“It’s my job,” Puck said with a smile. He bent to kiss the curve of her belly then, murmuring against the soft fabric of her skirt, “Night, Bethy.”

“She can’t hear you when you do that,” Quinn said softly, and when Puck looked at her he saw that her smile had faded away. She looked a bit sad and kind of thoughtful, and he was sure she was thinking again about the fact he wanted to keep Beth even though Quinn wanted to give her up.

It was a conversation they had rehashed many times, and he had finally stopped even bringing up the idea of letting him keep Beth. He wanted Beth so badly he couldn’t even put it into words, but not if it would mean ruining Quinn’s life worse than he already had. He wasn’t in love with Quinn, he had finally realized that, but he _did_ love her more than any other woman in the world except his mom and sister and maybe his Nana. If Quinn had to give Beth up to be able to move on with her life after he had fucked it up so badly for her, then he was going to try to accept it no matter how much it would hurt to lose what might well be his only chance to have a kid of his own.

“I can hear me.” Puck kissed Quinn’s cheek and then stood to go. “G’night, momma. Let me know if you need anything tonight.”

“I will,” Quinn agreed softly.

Puck paused at her door as he glanced back and saw she was watching him with a serious expression, but he smiled at her anyway before he turned away, closing her door and then heading for the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and then moved to the toilet, lifting the seat and then pouring his beer in before he sat the can on the counter and took a leak. He closed the lid and flushed the commode, then picked up the empty can and headed back down the hall to the kitchen, crushing the can and then dropping it into the bucket full of cans that sat below the crusher.

He had started selling cans when he was twelve and found out you could, and he still did it even though he didn’t keep the payouts anymore. Sarah stomped the cans her friends gave her at lunch every day and brought them home to add to the bucket, so Puck always let her have the money just like their mom had let him have it when he was her age. He gave her an allowance too, mostly because he remembered how much it had sucked when he was her age to never get one, but she still liked making the extra from cans so they both saved them.

He stopped at the sink to wash his hands, drying them before he glanced at his watch as he thought about what Mercedes said when he dropped her off. He had twenty minutes left to call Kurt, if he was going to. He wanted to, wanted to tell Kurt not to look twice at Dean because he already had something better that had been right next to him for months, but he wasn’t sure he could. The idea of admitting he was bisexual scared him a little, but not nearly as bad as the thought that Kurt might react badly to hearing that he was in love with him.

He moved to the fridge to get out the ingredients to marinate the chicken dish he had promised his mother while he thought about it. He didn’t deserve Kurt, he knew that – he had done too much to hurt Kurt over the years, and almost all of it on purpose – but sometimes he caught Kurt looking at him in a way that gave him hope, like earlier when Quinn had almost told everyone that Puck had fallen for Kurt like a ton of bricks. The surprised, shy smile and the look he had seen in Kurt’s eyes after that had made Puck want to kiss him until neither one of them remembered their names, but instead he had panicked and ran.

Running was a lot easier than telling the truth, even though he knew that all it ever did was get him further from what he wanted.

 

~*~

 

Kurt heard his phone start vibrating on his dressing table and he let out a little snort of a laugh. He had just plugged it in a few minutes ago to recharge after an extended bout of texting left it with only two bars, which would never last through the school day tomorrow. Mercedes had been texting him for nearly an hour, gossiping about Noah and Dean and asking questions about what he and Dean had talked about after the others left, but he wasn’t about to tell her any more than she already knew. He didn’t think it was any of her business, at least not yet.

Mercedes was one of his best friends, but she was also one of the worst gossips Kurt knew, which was really kind of scary if you thought about it. The other girls he was close to, even Brittany and Santana, were all terrible gossips who were constantly spreading rumors, and Artie was even worse than they were, but Mercedes took it to a whole new level. She _could_ keep a secret, of course, but she seldom bothered to unless someone got her to promise not to tell anyone. Anyone who forgot to extract such a promise could count on their secret being spread to the rest of the Glee club in hours, and to the rest of the school within a day.

Noah hadn’t admitted his feelings, even if his actions _did_ seem to speak louder than words could have, so Kurt wasn’t going to comment on Noah’s behavior that afternoon, especially to Mercedes, even though he _had_ made her promise not to talk about it with anyone else yet. He might not be as close to Noah as he wanted to be yet, but he was close enough to know that it was worth the effort to make Mercedes back off a bit so he could wait for Noah to make the first move. He knew it must be very difficult for someone like Noah to admit to _himself_ that he might not be straight, and he was sure that would make it even more difficult for Noah to ever admit it to anyone else, no matter how confident Noah normally was.

Quinn obviously knew something, and Kurt was sure that if he asked her the right way she would probably tell him, but he wasn’t going to. He knew that Quinn had been one of Noah’s best friends since they were in kindergarten and that there was very little that Noah and Quinn didn’t share with each other, but he couldn’t use that against either of them. He was sure that he and Noah had grown so much closer in the last few months mostly due to the fact they were both close to Quinn, and he wouldn’t put her in the middle like that.

The phone began vibrating again and Kurt let out a little amused snort as he threw back his sheets and slid out of bed, turning on a lamp and then walking over to his dressing table. He was all set to tell Mercedes he had meant it when he told her to go to bed when he reached to pick up the phone, but when he saw the name on the screen he stopped to stare at it in shock.

Noah’s name was on the pending text message, not Mercedes, and it took Kurt a few moments to gather the courage to read it. Noah had texted him before, of course, usually about Quinn or Glee, but never so late at night. They spoke to each other sometimes, but it was usually while waiting for others to show up to practice at Kurt’s house or when they were in Glee or at lunch, and they never really seemed to say anything important. Noah had a habit of being quiet and listening if there were others around to talk to Kurt, and they were almost never alone so they seldom _really_ talked like Kurt wanted them to.

Kurt took a steadying breath, straightening his shoulders even though there was no one in his dimly lit bedroom to see him as he stood there in a stolen sweatshirt and a very brief pair of silk pajama shorts and murmured to himself, “Get it together, Hummel.” He clicked through to Noah’s message and then blinked, confused.

‘ _please?_ ’

“Please what?” Kurt muttered, frowning slightly as he tapped the screen on his Blackberry to scroll to the previous message, sure he had missed something.

_‘can I call u? i prmse not 2 tlk long.’_

Kurt bit his lip, closing his eyes and hesitating for only a moment before he looked back down at his Blackberry and quickly replied, ‘ _you can always call me, noah_.’ He hit send before he could rethink it, unplugging his phone and its cord from the surge protector and then moving back towards his bed with them. He had only taken a few steps when his phone began to play music quietly, making him smile as he realized Noah had been waiting.

“ _I spotted you dancin', you made all the girls stare. Those lips and your brown eyes, and the sexy hair…_ ”

The ringtone was one of Kurt’s favorite songs by Britney Spears, and he couldn’t hear it without thinking about Noah. He called so seldom that Kurt felt safe setting it as his ringtone, even though the song made it kind of obvious how Kurt felt about him.

Kurt took a deep breath and then lifted the phone to his ear as he accepted the call, sitting down on the edge of his bed. “Hello, Noah.”

Kurt leaned to plug the phone cord in by the bed while there was silence on the other end of the line, and he was just beginning to wonder if the call had dropped when Noah finally murmured, “Hey.”

Kurt waited patiently for a moment and then smiled, moving to stretch out on his bed and look up at the ceiling as he teased, “Did you have something you wanted to talk about, or did you call just to hear my voice?”

“Both,” Noah admitted very quietly, and Kurt’s heart leapt. He listened as Noah took a slow shaky breath and then asked quietly, “Did you have a good talk with Dean?”

“Yes, I did,” Kurt answered, smiling and trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. “He was very sweet.” Noah made a little noise that sounded almost like a growl, and Kurt’s smile widened as he added, “But he didn’t stay long after you left. Just a few minutes.”

“That’s good,” Noah said, sounding so relieved that it made Kurt’s smile turn into a pleased grin. Noah was quiet for a moment and then asked hesitantly, “Did you want him to stay? Longer, I mean?”

Kurt blinked in surprise as his grin faded away, and then he took a moment to think about that before he asked slowly, “What are you trying to ask me, Noah?”

Noah was silent for a few breaths and then blurted, “Do you want to date him?”

“He wouldn’t be my first choice, no,” Kurt said honestly, trying hard to keep his sudden nervousness from showing in his voice. Noah was leading the conversation towards things Kurt desperately wanted to talk to him about, but now that it was finally happening Kurt found himself on the edge of panic. It would be easier to tell the truth if he wasn’t face to face with Noah, yes, but it would also be much easier for either of them to misunderstand something the other one said.

“Who would be?” Noah asked softly.

Kurt was silent for a few moments, trying to gather the courage to be honest, but he didn’t quite succeed so he stalled for more time instead. “Are you sure you want me to answer that, Noah?”

Noah hesitated long enough that Kurt was beginning to think he wouldn’t answer at all, but then he finally spoke up so softly Kurt could barely hear him. “Please? I need to know.”

Kurt closed his eyes. It should be so simple to say how he felt, to say that Noah was the one that Kurt had wanted for quite some time, but the very idea terrified him. He finally decided he had to be honest with Noah about why he was so slow to answer, at the very least. He opened his eyes to look up at the ceiling again as he said quietly, “I’m afraid to. I’m not sure you’ll like the answer.”

“Don’t be afraid of me,” Noah said softly, sounding pained. “I’d never hurt you.”

“I’m not afraid of _you_ , Noah,” Kurt said quickly. “Never. Just… I don’t know how you’ll _react_ , and it would be … distressing if you don’t like the answer.”

“Just _tell me_ , Kurt,” Noah whispered. “Please?”

Kurt closed his eyes again and took a deep steadying breath, letting it out slowly before he admitted, “My first choice would be you, Noah.”

Kurt could hear Noah take one shaky breath and then another, and Kurt was trying to prepare himself for the worst when Noah finally murmured, “Thanks.” He sounded kind of pleased and Kurt opened his eyes, sudden hope surging through him again as Noah added, “Meet me in the music room before homeroom tomorrow.” He paused and then added, “I just want to talk.”

Kurt swallowed and then nodded even though Noah couldn’t possibly see it. “I’ll be there.”

“Thank you,” Noah murmured, and Kurt could hear the smile in his voice. “I’ll let you go then, okay? I know you want to get your beauty sleep, and I already kept you past your bedtime.”

Kurt glanced at the clock on his stereo and then let out a soft little laugh. “It’s barely ten minutes after ten, Noah.”

“Yeah, but I know how you like your routine,” Noah said quietly.

“For you I’m glad to make an exception,” Kurt replied, smiling even though he was a little surprised at himself for being so bold.

“Nice to know.” Noah sounded almost smug and definitely much happier, which made Kurt smile a little wider. “Remember that for another time, okay?”

Kurt snorted softly, amused. “You plan to call me often so late at night?”

“It’s an idea,” Noah agreed, sounding more like his usual cocky self. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Kurt was smiling so wide it felt like his face might break as he said, “See you then, Noah. Good night.”

“Night,” Noah said quietly, pausing a moment before he murmured, “Sweet dreams, Kurt.” He hung up quickly then, not giving Kurt a chance to reply.

Kurt turned off his phone, leaning to put it on the bedside table and then making sure the cord wouldn’t get tangled in anything before he flopped back onto his back to stare at the ceiling. He laid there for only a moment before he giggled and kicked his feet against the bed as he let out an inarticulate squeal.

Something glass hit the floor in the kitchen with a crash, and then a moment later someone was banging on his door.

Kurt sat up quickly, feeling his face heat up as he grabbed his sheet to pull it over his bare legs. If Finn was beating on the door, he would freak if he saw Kurt in his pajama shorts again. Finn had wandered into the kitchen to look for something sweet several days ago when Kurt happened to be in there to get a cup of tea before bed, and when Finn had noticed Kurt’s shorts he had whirled around and started yelling about Kurt being naked in the kitchen. Burt and Carol had both laughed themselves silly over it, but Kurt didn’t want to repeat the experience so he decided to err on the side of caution as he called, “Come in!”

The kitchen door opened and then Burt quickly hurried down the stairs, frowning and looking worried. “What the hell was that noise, Kurt?”

“That was me, Dad,” Kurt admitted, feeling like his face was on fire.

Burt blinked, looking confused and then suddenly kind of freaked out. “Oh! Uhm, okay. I just…” He turned like he was going to go, then turned back to look at Kurt. “I’m probably gonna regret asking, but was it a good noise, or a bad noise?”

“Good noise,” Kurt replied, still beet red, he was sure. “I just got some very welcome news on the phone,” he explained quickly, not wanting his dad to think he had been doing something that would embarrass them both to think about for weeks.

Kurt _did_ do things he most definitely didn’t want his dad to know about, but he had gotten into the habit of enjoying a little private time in the shower very early in the morning, before anyone else was awake. It made it much easier for him to relax and enjoy himself instead of panicking at imagined noises out of fear of being caught in a compromising position, or worse, using one of the two sex toys he had purchased online. He wasn’t sure his dad would survive knowing he _had_ the toys, much less catching him making use of one. The slim waterproof vibrator would be hard enough to explain, but the thought of his dad even _knowing_ about the very realistic-looking ten-inch dildo was enough to make him sick to his stomach.

Burt stared at him for a moment and then said, “Well, that’s good, at least.” He paused. “Next time, could you try to keep it down a little? When you squealed like that I thought you had another mouse down here or something.”

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Kurt said, feeling like he was blushing even redder despite the fact he wasn’t sure it was possible. “I didn’t realize I was so loud.”

“It’s okay, just, try not to scare me half to death next time, okay?” Burt said, looking wry. “I just broke one of the soup bowls.”

Kurt moved back his sheet and started to get out of bed, still blushing. “I’ll come clean it up, Dad.”

“No, stay there,” Burt said quickly, waving a hand at him. “You don’t need to be running around the house in those shorts of yours, it’s too cold tonight. I made the mess, and I’ll clean it up.” He turned to go, climbing the stairs only a few steps before he paused again and turned back to look at Kurt. “Whose sweatshirt is that?”

Kurt looked down at the McKinley High Football sweatshirt he was wearing, blushing very red as he put one hand over the number below the McKinley logo without really thinking about it. “It’s not Finn’s, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He looked back up at his dad. “After he got so mad about me borrowing his letterman jacket to walk out and get the mail last month, I’m not going to _touch_ his clothes.”

“I know it’s not Finn’s,” Burt said quietly. “His number is five, not twenty.” He paused and then added, “And I kinda have the feeling you don’t want me asking Finn who twenty is, Kurt. That’s why I asked you.”

Kurt took a deep breath and then admitted, “It’s Noah’s, Dad.”

Burt blinked. “Noah?”

Kurt nodded, feeling like he was blushing all the way to his navel. “Noah Puckerman.”

“Puck,” Burt said, surprised. “Mohawked, _I knocked up my best friend’s girl_ , Puck.”

Kurt winced. “Yes, Dad.”

Burt stared at Kurt for what felt to Kurt like forever before he said slowly, “Son, I know you’re kinda close to him an’ Quinn, but are you sure he’s really worth your time? I don’t want you getting hurt again.”

“He is, Dad,” Kurt said quickly, still blushing hotly. “He’s sweet and funny and so talented it’s kind of scary sometimes, and he’s been trying very hard to make up for his mistakes. I’m not even completely sure he likes me, though. Not as anything more than a friend.”

“Then what was that screech about?” Burt asked, confused. “And why are you sleeping in his shirt?”

“I was cold,” Kurt said, embarrassed and very aware he wasn’t really answering the question. He wasn’t about to admit to his _dad_ that he wore the sweatshirt, which he had stolen from Noah’s gym bag the previous Friday, because it still smelled enough like Noah to give him very nice dreams. “And I was so happy because he wants me to meet him before school tomorrow. I… kind of told him I like him, and he wants to talk about it.”

Burt frowned. “You sure that’s safe, son?”

“I’ll be fine, Dad,” Kurt said without hesitation, sure of that much at least. “He’s been beating up anyone who bothered me for months, so he’s not going to suddenly decide to hurt me now.”

“If you’re sure,” Burt said, obviously skeptical.

“I’m sure,” Kurt said confidently. “Noah would never hurt me.” He paused and then added honestly, “Well, not physically, at least. I don’t think he’d hurt me at all, not on purpose, but I suppose I could have gotten things very wrong and he just wants to explain how straight he is in person so he can let me down easy or something.”

Burt just looked at him for a moment before he said gruffly, “If it goes bad, you can skip school, if you want. I’ll write you a note. There’s an old Mustang in for a valve job that you could play with, take your mind off it. Figgins shouldn’t bother you about me keeping you home, and it’s not like you’ve missed any other school this year.”

Kurt blinked and then smiled, feeling warm and loved. “Thank you, Dad. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Burt nodded. “You do that.” He turned to go again as he added, “G’night, son.”

“Good night,” Kurt replied, moving to settle back on the bed again and rolling to his side to get comfortable as the door to the kitchen closed, plunging his room into darkness again.

Kurt reached for his extra pillow, pulling it in close against his chest to cuddle it as he tried to relax, bending his head forward to press his nose against the sleeve of his stolen sweatshirt. He inhaled slowly, closing his eyes with a sudden smile as he savored the scent of Noah’s cologne, which hadn’t quite faded out of the material even though Kurt had kept it hidden in his closet for several days.

Kurt wasn’t sure what cologne Noah wore, but he was very sure he liked how it smelled, especially when it was mingled with that indefinable scent that he had learned over the last few months was simply Noah. The combination was warm and spicy and a little musky and it made Kurt think of things he’d love to do to Noah’s beautiful body, starting with nibbling along his impressive biceps, or maybe using his teeth to tug the nipple ring he could sometimes make out the outline of through Noah’s tighter shirts.

 

~*~

 

Puck was up half the night thinking about Kurt, and yeah, okay, he jerked off a couple of times too, but hey. He was a stud, and he hadn’t gotten laid in what felt like forever.

It didn’t help even a little bit that he wanted Kurt enough that it scared him sometimes, especially since he had begun to realize that he didn’t really want women like he used to. He kept finding himself comparing them to Kurt, and the woman always seemed to come up short, especially high school girls. They weren’t nearly as awesome as Kurt was when he got his diva on, and they couldn’t dance down the field and then kick a field goal that would make Morten Anderson proud, and when they smiled they didn’t make him want to just sit and stare like Kurt did. It wasn’t just high school girls Puck had lost interest in though, not by far. Even cougars weren’t really what he wanted anymore, which was kind of a rude awakening.

Sure, getting laid had never really been _bad_ , but recently when Puck slept with a cougar he had been doing it for the money, not the thrill. The last time in particular had taken pretty much all of the fun out of it for him. He was leaving Mrs Donaldson’s bedroom when she stopped him to tell him there was an extra hundred in it for him if he’d let her husband join them next time. When he realized he was actually considering it even though the very idea of her fifty-year-old lawyer hubby in bed with them kind of freaked him out, it had made him realize exactly how far he had gone beyond what he had intended when he started screwing around with cougars.

Fucking cougars had begun as a way to get with older women who made him feel like a stud and didn’t want anything but awesome sex from him, but as he stood there looking at Mrs D wearing nothing but a hopeful smile he had realized finally that somewhere along the line he had let himself become a whore, and a fairly cheap one at that. He had known all along that he was letting women pay him to fuck them, of course, but he had managed to convince himself that he was just that awesome in bed so he deserved it.

People had called him a manwhore before – lots of people, even his _friends_  – but he had never really _felt_ like a whore until that moment. It rankled in a major way to realize he had been lying to himself, and left him equal parts pissed and disgusted.

He had refused Mrs D’s offer, and by the time he got in his Ranger he had decided that the next time she called he wouldn’t be available, no matter what she offered him. He still had _standards_ , dammit, and he didn’t need anyone’s money badly enough to forget them, even for an hour. He had wanted to give up the pool cleaning business altogether, but it only took him a little while thinking about it to realize he couldn’t. He had Quinn and Beth to think about, and he had done enough checking around to know that he couldn’t give up either of his jobs until Quinn made a final decision about giving Beth up for adoption. Babies were way more expensive than he could afford on a paperboy’s salary, so he needed to keep saving money just in case Quinn did keep Beth.

He’d have to keep cleaning pools until he found a summer job, but he didn’t intend to sell his dick any more, even though it would cut his income in half. Part of the reason he was going to quit screwing around with cougars was the self-disgust he felt at realizing he was just their whore, but he couldn’t deny, at least to himself, that part of the reason he was going to stop was because of Kurt. He wanted to be with Kurt, wanted to be the kind of person Kurt could trust and respect, and forgetting cougars was something he needed to change if he wanted to be that guy. He had never been faithful to anyone in his life, but he wanted to change that for Kurt, wanted to do things _right_ this time.

Thinking about Kurt and cougars and all the reasons he _had_ to keep cleaning pools until he had another job had kept Puck awake half the night. He had a hard time dragging himself out of bed the next morning when Quinn woke him up, and he was only half awake as he got dressed in the first clean clothes he found. He pulled his battered high-tops on without socks and then grabbed his wallet and was walking down the hall on his way out when he suddenly heard Quinn laugh. He moved back to her open door, wondering what could possibly be funny at the ass-crack of dawn, and he blinked when he saw her.

Quinn was sitting on the edge of her bed in one of her frilly little white gowns that was barely enough to keep her from giving him an eyeful, her long perfect legs bare below the lacy hem that fell just a few inches below the tops of her thighs, and Puck found himself wondering how she could be so beautiful and yet still not make him the least bit horny. Somehow during the last six months she had gone from being the girl he wanted to marry back to being his best friend and kind of sister all rolled up into one beautiful package. It gave him headaches if he thought about it too hard, mostly because she was having his kid. The idea of ever having sex with her again made him feel like a pervert.

Quinn was just looking at him with one hand resting on the upper curve of her baby belly, smirking as she teased, “I think you need to wake up a little more before you try to drive anywhere, honey.” She giggled again. “And come look in a mirror.”

Puck raised one eyebrow and walked into her room to look at himself in the mirror above her dresser, and what he saw made him laugh too. His t-shirt was inside out and one pocket of his jeans was sticking out, but those weren’t the most pitiful part. He reached up to grab the dryer sheet that had somehow ended up stuck to his mohawk on top of his head, turning to look towards Quinn again. “Thanks, momma.”

Quinn grinned impishly at him. “It was adorable, but your boss might not get the best impression if you walked in to pick up your papers like that.”

Puck snorted. “To say the least. He’s already heard enough about my rep that he’d take it wrong and think I was drunk or something.” He wadded up the dryer sheet, walking over to her bed to toss it in the little trashcan under her bedside table, and then he moved to kiss her forehead. “I’ll be home around six to make breakfast and cook for Mom.”

“I’ll make sure Sarah’s up by then,” Quinn said with a sweet smile. “Be careful.”

“Always, sweetheart,” Puck agreed cheerfully, heading out again as he tugged the t-shirt off to turn it right side out. “I’ve got my phone if you need me, and I’ll bring you a cup of decaf and some bacon from the café when I come home, just don’t tell Mom.”

“I love you too,” Quinn called softly with a laugh.

Puck grinned, pulling his t-shirt on the right way as he hurried through the house and then out the back door, locking it back behind him. He paused on the back steps to take a slow deep breath, loving the coolness of the early morning air and the hint of the rain that had blown through a few hours earlier. He started moving again after only a moment though, digging his keys out of his pocket as he walked quickly around to the driver’s side of his truck and got in.

Within minutes he was on his way downtown to the newspaper office, driving much faster than was legal on the deserted roads and hoping he would make it by five. If he were late, old man Peabody would give him hell and likely put a note on his record or some such shit. The guy hated Puck for some reason and had ever since he got hired to take over the paper routes that got abandoned when the Sharpes got a divorce and Lori took the kids and moved back home to live near her parents.

Lori Sharpe had two teenaged boys who had been delivering papers for years. Mitch was the oldest, a senior in high school, and his little brother Jimmy was fourteen and had been helping Mitch with the paper routes since he was nine. They had worked out a great system with Mitch driving his little Chevy Luv pickup while Jimmy sat in the back pitching papers, and had taken on extra routes as subs, too, so the newspaper was kind of in a bind when they up and left.

Puck had showed up at the newspaper’s office at five AM the day after they moved, and he was hired on the spot. Within a week he was delivering around a hundred papers a day for fifty cents each, plus getting an allowance of fifty dollars a week for gas, and he was first in line to pick up any routes that needed a substitute because he still hadn’t missed a single day. The pay wasn’t amazing or anything, but it was enough to make the job well worth the effort, and he kind of liked the excuse to just drive around and enjoy the early morning air all alone with his music.

Out of his first paycheck he had sent Lori a huge-assed bouquet of flowers at her new place in Cincinnati, thanking her for telling him about the job. She had called the next day to thank him, and she had gotten in touch to check up on him a few times since then. Lori was one of the few women who had ever paid him to clean her pool and treated him like family instead of a sex toy, and he kind of adored her for it. She was a sweet lady that reminded him a lot of Carole, who had always been one of his favorite people until he had screwed up so completely that he ruined Quinn’s life and made Finn hate him.

Puck would like to talk to Carole again, of course, but he just couldn’t quite make himself do it. Some days she had felt more like his mom than his own mother did, mostly because he and Sarah had spent their days with ‘Aunt Carole’ and Finn while Nancy worked until Nancy decided Puck could watch Sarah on his own when he was twelve, and he was afraid of what Carole would say if he did try to talk to her. Finn had fallen in love with Quinn when they were all in second grade, and Carole had always thought that they would get married and have her a tribe of grandbabies to spoil. Puck knew that Carole was really upset about him sleeping with Quinn when Finn found out about it, and he doubted that she had forgotten it since then, even though Finn didn’t hate him anymore.

Puck was still disappointed in himself about it all, even though he had done his best to make up for his mistakes, so he was sure Carole must be disgusted with him. She had always thought Puck was a better man than his father ever was, and he hated that he had proved her wrong.

 

~*~

 

_“People say, they say that it's just a phase. They tell me to act my age. Well, I am! On this perfect day, nothing's standing in my way. On this perfect day, when nothing can go wrong. It's the perfect day, tomorrow's gonna come too soon. I could stay, forever as I am. On this perfect day…”_

Kurt was smiling as he sang along with his stereo, happy and feeling kind of excited. He had gotten very little sleep compared to his usual habits, but after a long leisurely shower he was bright-eyed and ready for the day. The prospect of meeting Noah before homeroom made him almost wish he had overslept so he wouldn’t have to wait so long before he could see Noah, but he was glad he had plenty of time to get ready. He wanted to look as close to perfect as he could manage by the time he got to school, even though he wasn’t completely sure Noah even noticed what he wore most of the time.

He had just finished his hair when he noticed the clock on the wall by his dressing table mirror said that it was nearly five-thirty. He took one last look at his hair and then stood and moved to the full-length mirror on his closet door to give his clothes a thorough visual once-over. He took his time inspecting his spotless black Converse before letting his gaze roam upwards over his new dark scarlet skinny jeans to rest on the slinky black cashmere sweater he wore over a snug white t-shirt. The overall effect was simple but kind of sexy in an understated, almost elegant way, and as soon as he was satisfied that he was presentable he headed quickly towards the kitchen, where he knew his dad would be waiting.

Burt got up an hour earlier than he needed to every morning just so he could spend some time with Kurt before school, and it was Kurt’s very favorite time of day. He loved his dad more than anything and he treasured their early mornings talking over coffee and reading the newspaper together. Most days they had breakfast together, and Kurt would usually pretend not to notice if Burt ate breakfast again with Carole and Finn later while Kurt was putting the finishing touches on his hair and clothes for the day.

Carole knew how important their morning routine was to Kurt, and he was very grateful for the way she stayed out of the kitchen until she had to start Finn moving for school at six-thirty. It was one of the many reasons Kurt loved her almost as much as if she were his own mother. Kurt was usually very busy with Glee and with his friends and his homework after school, and Burt enjoyed relaxing and watching television in the evenings, so the only time they really spent together was often their early morning talks.

That particular morning, Burt was leaning against the counter by the coffee pot in boxers, a t-shirt, and his favorite ‘ _Hummel Tire & Lube_’ hat while he watched the coffee percolate as if the world depended on it.

Kurt almost laughed at how rumpled and groggy his dad looked, amused that Burt had remembered his hat but forgotten his jeans again. Burt had a rather disturbing habit of wearing his hat every waking moment if someone didn’t take it off his head, but it was still kind of adorable to Kurt that his dad sometimes grabbed his hat in the morning and forgot actual clothes. “Dad, sit down,” he said quickly, breezing through the kitchen towards the front door. “Watching it won’t make it brew any faster, I promise. I’ll get you a cup in just a second.”

“Alright,” Burt agreed, yawning widely as he turned towards the kitchen island that doubled as their dining room table.

Kurt walked to the front door, unlocking it and then pulling aside the curtain on the window by the door as he leaned against the wall to wait. He heard a truck only a few minutes later and smiled, and then he saw Noah’s Ranger coming slowly down the street. Noah delivered three papers while he watched, flinging them onto the neighbors’ front porches with easy skill, then Noah’s truck rolled to a halt in front of Kurt’s house. He had delivered the paper at almost the same time every morning for weeks, and Kurt enjoyed watching him even though he knew it was kind of silly.

Noah leaned out the driver’s window holding a newspaper and then threw it with deadly accuracy to thump against the bottom of the front door, but he surprised Kurt by sitting there and waiting instead of immediately pulling away like he usually did if he stopped. Kurt could easily make out Noah’s face in the light of a nearby street lamp, and Noah was just watching Kurt’s front door and waiting, looking kind of hopeful.

Kurt bit his lower lip and then opened the door, looking at Noah and feeling kind of shy and uncertain as he wondered what he was waiting for.

Noah smiled as soon as he saw Kurt, looking happy and kind of sweet as he called, “Morning! See you at school!”

Kurt smiled and nodded, waving to Noah as he called softly, “I’ll be there.”

Noah gave him a pleased grin and then started his truck forward again to deliver the next newspaper. Kurt wanted to stay there and watch Noah delivering the papers to the rest of the block, but he chickened out and bent to grab the paper before he slipped back inside, closing the door behind him and then walking quickly to the kitchen.

Burt was waiting, looking much more alert as he asked, “Did I hear you talking to someone?”

“Noah just said good morning,” Kurt said quickly, blushing as he took the wrapper off the paper.

Burt blinked. “Do what now?”

“Puck. He delivers the paper every day, Dad,” Kurt said softly, not looking at Burt as he put the paper in front of his dad and then moved to throw away the wrapper. “He has for a few months now. He needed a job that wouldn’t interfere with school or watching his baby sister while his mom works, and when Mitchell and James Sharpe moved away, he applied for their jobs.”

“Huh,” Burt said quietly, sounding surprised. “So _that’s_ why you all of a sudden started watchin’ for the paperboy.”

Kurt felt like his face was on fire as he moved to wash his hands and then got out two coffee mugs. “I… Yes. I saw him pulling away one morning.”

Burt was quiet while Kurt poured the coffee, waiting for Kurt to carry their mugs to the table before he asked gently, “Just how long have you been interested in Puck, son?”

Kurt put their coffee down and then was still for a moment, not quite able to make himself look at his dad as he finally admitted, “A long time. Months.”

“Then why did you ever date that Jesse kid?” Burt asked as he reached for his coffee, confused.

“Because I was sure Noah was straight,” Kurt said quietly, turning away to get the milk out of the fridge. He got down two bowls and dropped in a spoon for each of them before he carried them to the table, finally making himself look at his dad. “I didn’t think I had a _prayer_ with him, and Jesse was sweet to me and really cute, so I kind of settled for him. I was so lonely that I convinced myself that _any_ boyfriend had to be much better than none at all.”

Burt sighed. “I hate you sellin’ yourself short like that, Kurt. You’re too special to be settling for anyone you don’t care about.”

“I didn’t sell myself at all,” Kurt said just a bit sharply, feeling suddenly defensive. “I never let Jesse do more than kiss me, Dad, and even that only a few times.” He paused and then admitted, “I wanted to at first, but then it just didn’t make me feel like I wanted it to.”

“I’m glad,” Burt said calmly, looking up into Kurt’s eyes. “I know someday you’re gonna want to … do things with a guy, but I hope it’ll be with somebody you love. It wasn’t for me, and I regretted it more than once, especially when I had to admit it to your momma.”

Kurt looked into Burt’s eyes for a few more moments and then turned away to go get the cereal as he said quietly, “When I realized why kissing Jesse felt so wrong I decided that I’m waiting for love, Dad, even if it means I die a virgin.”

“Don’t talk like that, Kurt,” Burt said quickly, and Kurt didn’t have to look to know he was frowning. “There’s somebody out there for _everyone_ , son. You’ll meet the right guy some day, and I hope I’m around to see how happy you are with him.”

Kurt didn’t say the first thing that came to mind then, namely that he thought he already knew the right man. He wanted to be with Noah like he had never wanted Jesse or even Finn, wanted Noah to do things to him that he had only read about in a few enticingly erotic stories he had found online, but he wasn’t about to tell his dad any of that. Instead he opened the cabinet where they kept the cereal, asking, “What kind of cereal do you want today, Dad?”

“Granola,” Burt replied with a soft sigh.

Kurt looked over his shoulder at his dad, amused. “I asked what cereal you _want_ , Dad, not what you should have.”

Burt brightened immediately. “Lucky Charms?”

Kurt let out a soft little amused snort and turned back to the cabinet, taking down the Lucky Charms and the organic granola and then carrying the boxes back to the table. “There’s Cookie Crisp up there too, you know.”

“I know, but Finn will want that,” Burt said, looking sheepish. “It’s his favorite and there’s only one bowl left. I had the rest last night before bed.”

“That’s better than some things you’ve eaten for dessert, I guess,” Kurt said, amused as he took a seat in his usual chair.

“Carole suggested it,” Burt admitted, pouring Lucky Charms into his bowl. “I wanted to make chili.”

Kurt let out a soft little laugh as he began to pour his on cereal. “I’m glad you listened to her. The way you make chili, it’s a heart attack in a bowl.”

Burt just laughed and reached for the milk, but he looked just a little sheepish still and Kurt knew he was thinking about his last doctor visit. Kurt was the only cook in the family at the time, so the doctor had called Kurt into the exam room with his father to lecture him about making Burt eat healthy food and get his cholesterol down before it was too late. There had been mention of the word ‘orphan’, which had scared Kurt into silence as he fought not to cry, mostly because he knew it would upset his father.

Kurt had been fanatical about his father’s diet ever since, and he knew that Burt tolerated it only because he had seen how terrified Kurt was of the idea of losing him.

 

~*~

 

Puck smirked just a bit as he pulled into the school parking lot and saw his usual spot was empty, even though it didn’t surprise him.

No one _ever_ parked in Puck’s spot, not anymore. He had made an example of the last guy who did it, beating him down in the courtyard and making sure everyone around knew it was because the meathead stole his parking space. He had done in school suspension for two days, but nobody ever stole his spot anymore, so he figured it was worth it.

There was an oak tree by his favorite parking place that shaded his truck just right for him to sprawl in the bed for a nap when he didn’t feel like going to class, which was usually every day after lunch when he was supposed to be going to math class. He used to nap with the nurse, but nobody seemed to care if he was where he should be, so he had stopped bothering with it and just slept in his truck. He could stretch out there and relax in the fresh air and not have to worry about anyone bothering him, and if he slept more than an hour, well, he had never liked Political Science anyway. The only thing that class really had going for it, at least in his opinion, was the fact Kurt was in there with him.

Puck looked in the rear view mirror to line up with the big old oak tree as he backed into his usual spot, amused that Kurt’s Navigator was parked next to it again that day. Mike had been parking next to Puck ever since Puck bought the Ranger, but Mike had been forced to pick another spot when Kurt began parking next to Puck the week before. Puck had halfway expected Mike to have a fit about Kurt taking his spot on Tuesday, but Mike had just grinned and parked on the other side of the Navigator like it was nothing.

Puck had asked Mike about it after it happened the second time, and Mike had laughed and said Kurt could have his spot if he wanted it. Mike was happy as long as he still got to park somewhere near the field house, which was on the same side of the parking lot as the tree Puck had claimed, so the spot next to Puck’s truck had become Kurt’s parking spot. Kurt hadn’t said a word about it, and Puck hadn’t asked, but after the night before he was pretty sure he knew why Kurt had wanted to be close to him, even figuratively.

Puck liked having Kurt’s Navigator where he could keep an eye on it, but he hadn’t been ready to admit that before. By the end of the day that day he fully intended for the whole school to know that Kurt belonged to him, and he hoped that it would completely end Kurt’s need for the extra clothes that Puck knew he still kept neatly folded in a duffle in the back of the Navigator, safely locked up where none of the jocks could get them. Several of the girls in Glee kept clothes there too, as did Artie, and Puck hated that any of them ever needed them. They used them a hell of a lot less than they used to because of all the asses Puck had kicked, not to mention a few asses Mike and Matt had teamed up to kick, but the girls and Artie still had to send someone out to the Navigator for clothes a few times a week.

Puck opened his door as he grabbed his backpack out of the floor, scanning the lot as he got out for Dean’s black Impala, but he wasn’t really surprised to see it wasn’t there yet. There was still almost thirty minutes before the first bell rang, and most people didn’t like to get to school as early as the Glee kids did. Kurt and the girls had made a habit out of meeting in the courtyard by the cafeteria before the jocks would be at school because there was safety in numbers, and Puck, Mike, and Finn had started showing up early to keep an eye out for them. Matt was there some days, if he was awake and ready to go when Mike passed his house, but he often rode the bus to school because he hated getting up early.

Puck shrugged into the straps on his backpack as he walked around the Ranger, and he was grinning when he opened Quinn’s door. The sweet little smile Quinn was giving him made him feel suddenly self-conscious though, and his grin faded as he blurted, “What?”

Quinn’s smile widened as she turned towards him on the seat, murmuring, “You’re awfully cheerful this morning.”

Puck blinked. “I’m not supposed to be cheerful?”

“Oh no, you can be cheerful,” Quinn said quickly, still smiling. “You’re just usually not when we get to school.”

Puck just looked at her a minute and then glanced around to be sure there wasn’t anyone nearby to overhear, then looked back at Quinn as he admitted quietly, “I’m meeting Kurt after I get you to Spanish. I told him I needed to talk to him.”

Quinn blinked, her eyes widening. “When did you do that?”

“Last night,” Puck admitted sheepishly, running his hand over his mohawk as he looked away to watch as one of Rachel’s dads dropped her off at the front of the school. Rachel looked at Puck and Quinn for a moment before she headed quickly into the building as Puck added, “I kinda called him, after you went to bed.”

“What did he say?” Quinn asked quickly, and when he glanced at her he saw she looked curious and hopeful, but a bit wary too.

Puck shrugged slightly, looking down. “Not a lot. We only talked for like, five minutes.”

Quinn reached for his hand as she asked gently, “Did you finally tell him?”

Puck shook his head, feeling his face heat up as he tangled his fingers with Quinn’s, holding her hand a bit more tightly than was really necessary. After a moment he admitted, “But I kind of asked if he wanted to date Dean, and then when he said Dean wasn’t his first choice I asked who was.” He glanced at Quinn then, unable to control a sudden smile he just _knew_ looked kind of sappy as he murmured, “He said me.”

Quinn beamed and gave his hand a squeeze. “I knew it!” She leaned to kiss his cheek and then gave him a bright happy grin. “Why don’t you go find Kurt? I can get to class without help.”

“You can, but you’re not gonna,” Puck said quickly, letting go of her hand to reach for her waist with both hands and pick her up to lift her out of the truck.

Quinn took a step towards him as soon as her feet hit the pavement, wrapping her arms around him to hug him tightly. “I’m so happy for you, honey. I’m glad you’re finally ready to tell him the truth.”

Puck returned the hug, kissing her hair lightly. “It’s mostly Dean’s fault. I figure if he can be honest with us when he barely knows us, I oughta be able to tell Kurt how I feel about him.”

Quinn pulled back to look up at him, her arms still loosely around him as she asked softly, “Are you going to ask him to keep it a secret?”

“Only if he’s not into me,” Puck replied, not quite meeting her gaze. “If he shoots me down, I’d kinda like to keep it between me and him.”

“He won’t,” Quinn said quietly. “He told you he wanted to date you, sweetheart.”

“And if I don’t screw up, the whole school will know it by lunch,” Puck said, smiling a bit as he met Quinn’s gaze again finally. “I’m not ashamed of how I feel about him. If he gives me a chance, I want everyone to know he’s mine.”

Quinn looked at him for a moment before she asked, “Then why haven’t you said anything before now?”

Puck felt his face heating up as he looked down, avoiding her gaze again. “After all the shit I put him through, he’s got a million reasons he shouldn’t trust me. I’m not sure I could take it if he told me to go to hell.”

“Noah, sweetheart, I’m going to tell you something, and I want you to promise me you’ll never tell him I told you,” Quinn said softly.

Puck looked at her, surprised and a little confused. “Okay.”

Quinn lifted one hand to his shoulder, smiling up at him as she said quietly, “I’m pretty sure Kurt has had a crush on you for _months_ , but he thought you were straight so he’s been very careful not to let it show when you were watching him, at least until recently.” She smiled. “About the time Mercedes told me that she had caught you looking at Kurt’s ass like you wanted to eat him alive, Kurt stopped trying so hard to pretend he wasn’t at all interested in you. I think she probably told him she had caught you looking.”

Puck blinked. “I thought it was my imagination that he was suddenly looking at me all the time and kind of flirting.”

Quinn giggled softly and patted his chest. “It wasn’t, sweetie. He’s been flirting with you very carefully whenever it’s just the three of us, like he did last night.”

“I never know if he _means it_ when he does that, though,” Puck admitted. “I mean, he teases Mike that way sometimes, and he used to treat Finn like that before their parents hooked up and Finn went apeshit over it.”

“Before Finn started acting like a homophobic ass, you mean,” Quinn said with a little snort, pulling away. “And Kurt can tease Mike because they both know Kurt is just playing. Mike is secure enough in himself not to panic just because someone might see him flirting with another guy.”

Puck moved towards the truck to get Quinn’s books and her purse. “I hear you.” He turned back towards Quinn, offering her the purse as he added quietly, “I kinda couldn’t help it, though.”

“So what changed today?” Quinn asked softly, moving to the side so Puck could close the Ranger’s door.

Puck shut the passenger door of the truck and then offered Quinn his arm, waiting until she took it to start slowly towards the school. He was glad it was early enough that there was almost nobody in the parking lot yet so they could talk in relative privacy. “It changed last night, really,” he answered finally. “When Kurt asked Dean to stay, it made me realize that if I kept lying about what I wanted, it’d be my own damned fault when he ended up with someone else.”

Quinn gave his arm a squeeze, smiling as she murmured, “You looked kind of like you wanted to kill Dean last night.”

Puck let out a little bark of a laugh. “Only because for a minute there I did. I would have decked him at least if he hadn’t been so quick to say nothing was gonna happen. That made me realize how freaking _obvious_ I was being, but by then it was too late to do anything but run.”

Quinn giggled softly. “I think your reaction was enough to make Kurt realize how you feel about him, sweetie, if that helps.”

“It actually kind of does,” Puck admitted, helping Quinn up onto the sidewalk to continue towards the school entrance and pretending he didn’t hear her giggling at him.

She did that a lot.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

 

 

Kurt glanced at his watch and then stood up as he looked across the table at Mercedes and Tina, smiling. “I’ll see you lovely ladies in Glee. I’ve got someone I need to talk to before the bell.”

“You sure you’ll be okay?” Mercedes asked, and her concern made Kurt smile.

Karofsky had almost caught Kurt alone twice the day before, though Kurt still had no clue why the burly jock had been so determined to corner him. Both times someone happened to walk up to Kurt to talk to him just before Karofsky could get to him, first Mike when they were on the way to lunch and then later Quinn and Noah had walked with him to seventh period. Karofsky had given Kurt a death glare as he watched Kurt walk off both times, and Kurt knew that avoiding Karofsky wasn’t really helping at all, but the alternative was frightening enough that he was glad that the other gleeks were looking out for him.

“I’ll be fine,” Kurt said quickly, nodding towards a table across the courtyard where several members of the hockey team were sharing three cold pizzas that George had brought in. “Karofsky and Azimio are right over there with their goon squad, and too busy making pigs of themselves to bother me.”

Tina looked towards the table where the hockey team was sitting and giggled softly. “They do eat kind of like pigs, don’t they? All that grunting and slobbering…”

Mercedes snickered at that as Kurt smirked and murmured, “Quite.” He gave the girls a little finger-wiggling wave, and then he turned to walk away towards the stairs, giving Mike a warm smile when he saw Mike was keeping an eye on them from a nearby table.

Mike grinned at Kurt and mouthed, “Watch your back.”

Kurt nodded, amused, and Mike went back to paying attention to the others at his table. Mike had already been sitting with Matt when Kurt, Mercedes, and Finn got to school, and Finn had immediately joined the other two boys to check his homework against theirs. Or at least, that was what Mike, Matt, and Finn always said if anyone asked what they were doing before school. Kurt was fairly certain Finn was actually copying his homework assignments from Mike, who made excellent grades, but neither of them would admit it any more than Matt would admit he did the same thing.

The sad thing was that Kurt was sure Finn and Matt both would be failing without Mike’s help, especially Finn. Kurt had been tutoring Finn off and on for most of the year so the other boy could pass, but then a few weeks ago Finn had freaked out and said a lot of hurtful things before he told Kurt not to talk to him anymore. Finn had since apologized profusely for screaming at Kurt just for asking what was wrong with him that day, but Kurt no longer offered to help Finn with his homework, or anything else for that matter.

The homophobic things Finn had said had hurt more than Kurt wanted them to, and he wasn’t going to do _anything_ for Finn ever again unless Finn asked him to. Finn never asked Kurt for anything anymore, and in fact avoided Kurt as often as he could, so they seldom talked very much even though they now lived in the same house. Finn usually didn’t even ride to school with Kurt, preferring to catch a ride with Mike, but that morning Finn had been running late and didn’t have a choice. Finn had fallen asleep again after Carole woke him for school, and by the time Finn was dressed Mike had already been in the courtyard at school helping Matt with his Trig.

Rachel had arrived much later than the others, as usual, and made a beeline for Mike’s table. Finn had gotten a quick kiss on the cheek and then Rachel had proceeded to ignore him, instead talking to the other two boys at the table while Finn watched and listened, looking bemused. She had a new idea for choreography and had wanted to run it by Mike and Matt, who were both excellent dancers, before she tried to talk Schuester into putting it into one of their routines.

From what Kurt had overheard, he hoped that Mike would talk Rachel out of it. The choreography from ‘ _Swan Lake_ ’, while beautiful, wasn’t exactly New Directions material, no matter how talented some of the better dancers in the group were. The mental image of Finn attempting any of the moves required to carry off the lead role – a mental image Tina just _had_ to share when it hit her – had been enough to make Kurt, Mercedes, and Tina giggle until they had tears in their eyes.

Kurt and the girls hadn’t minded the fact Rachel completely ignored them while they nibbled at their usual before-school snack of a shared fruit salad and gossiped between fits of giggles every time they overheard a snatch of the conversation at the next table. Rachel seldom really talked with Kurt, Tina, and Mercedes, who had been best friends since first grade. Rachel said it was because she didn’t have time to waste on idle gossip, but Kurt privately thought that she hated feeling like an outsider in their conversations. She seldom socialized with them away from school or made an attempt to really get to know them, so she often had no idea what they were talking about when they talked about something they had seen at the mall or even a show they watched on television the night before.

Santana and Brittany were ahead of Kurt when he finally got to the door, and he was surprised when he saw they had stopped to wait for him just inside the building. Brittany was one of Kurt’s favorite people because she was so sweet and funny, but they seldom spent as much time together as either of them might like. Santana kept Brittany on a fairly short leash – mostly, Kurt was sure, because Brittany’s favorite hobby was sex – and that meant Brittany wasn’t often around Kurt unless Santana had something better to do. Santana didn’t get along with Kurt very well because they were both people that tended to go for the ‘head bitch in charge’ role in any group situation, which led to them being at odds fairly often. 

Brittany reached for Kurt’s free hand when he got close enough, smiling as she said cheerfully, “You look great today, Kurt. I really want to borrow those jeans, they’re hot.”

Kurt and Brittany wore the same size and had for a few years, but Brittany had been quite a bit taller than him until recently. Brittany had realized just a few weeks ago that Kurt’s legs were finally long enough that his jeans weren’t too short for her anymore, and she had been borrowing them ever since. She was very good about bringing them back clean and neatly folded within a few days, and she loved it when he borrowed something of hers in return, though that didn’t happen often. At school Brittany was usually wearing her Cheerios uniform, which Kurt thought was rather cute on her if you liked polyester, but when she was out of uniform she seemed to have atrocious taste. Most of Brittany’s favorite clothes were things she had been given by her friends, or things she had just cheerfully stolen.

Kurt had a suspicion that Brittany had stolen some article of clothing from every boy she had sex with as a sort of trophy, even though he had never asked her about it. He had seen her wear cut-off shorts she had happily informed him used to be Mike’s, several of Puck’s button-front shirts, a hoodie with Finn’s jersey number on it, and even one of Artie’s sweaters, and he was sure there were other things he had just never seen her wear. Brittany had gotten as far as third base with all of the boys she knew – even Kurt, who had felt awful when he saw how confused she was when she felt him up and found out he wasn’t even aroused by making out with her – and Kurt was sure he was probably the only boy who had ever turned her down when she offered to go further.

Kurt gave Brittany’s hand a squeeze as he smiled warmly at her. “Of course, Boo. I’ll bring them to you tomorrow.”

Brittany beamed at him. “Thank you!” She looked at Santana, still beaming. “Isn’t he the sweetest?”

“Yeah, he is pretty nice sometimes,” Santana agreed a bit grudgingly, giving Kurt a slightly sour look. She turned her attention back to Brittany after only a moment though, brightening as she tugged Brittany’s other hand and said, “Come on. We were going to our lockers, remember?”

Brittany looked back at Kurt, still beaming. “Dean should be here soon, and he’ll have to walk by us there.” She leaned to kiss Kurt lightly on the lips, and then added cheerfully, “We’re going to take him out tonight, but he doesn’t know it yet.”

Kurt let out a soft laugh, amused that Brittany had kissed him. He had explained to her why he didn’t kiss girls in very small words several times, but she still forgot sometimes and kissed him anyway. He had given up on trying to convince her to stop, instead tolerating it as long as she didn’t try to lick his tonsils. There were worse things than being kissed by a sweet, pretty girl that happened to be one of his favorite people, after all. “Have fun with him. He’s really nice.”

“We will,” Santana said with a smug smirk, tugging Brittany away from him enough that Brittany had to let go of his hand. “See you, Ladyface.”

“Bye Kurt,” Brittany added, lifting her free hand to wave at him with a sweet smile.

“See you later, girls,” Kurt said, waving back to Brittany and then turning away from them to walk quickly towards the music room. He adored Brittany, really he did, but he had no idea what she saw in Santana. She often treated Brittany as if she were a rather slow three year old child, and Brittany tolerated it cheerfully even though Kurt knew Brittany wasn’t as stupid as Santana seemed to think she was. He had asked Brittany about it once, and Brittany had just smiled at him and said that Santana loved her, which really wasn’t an answer as far as Kurt was concerned even though it seemed to be enough for Brittany.

Kurt saw three scowling jocks with slushies just before he got to the music room, and had had to fight to keep his immediate anxiety from showing on his face.

No one had slushied Kurt since the day Azimio slushied him just as Kurt started down the stairs in the courtyard one morning before school. The icy drink in his face had been unexpected – Kurt hadn’t seen Azimio at all until it was too late – and it caused Kurt to fall, scraping his hands and elbow and giving him some really ugly bruises, including one on his cheek that looked absolutely terrible until Kurt was able to go by the mall after school and get the right concealer to cover it up. Noah and Mike had beaten Azimio up after they saw Kurt’s bruised face and the daily gauntlet of slushies had stopped, at least for Kurt, but the sight of a jock with one of those too-familiar cups still made him instinctively want to hide.

Kurt lifted his chin instead, walking just a tiny bit faster, and he was very glad when he realized he had time to get inside the music room before they got close enough to reach him. The classroom was empty when he went through the door, and his heart plummeted as he closed the door behind him, suddenly afraid that Noah had changed his mind.

He was very sure that Noah was already at school. Noah was _always_ early because of Quinn, who couldn’t move as quickly as she used to and needed extra time to get to her classes. Noah took his responsibility for Quinn’s current condition very seriously and made sure to make time to help her whenever he thought she needed it, no matter how often she tried to tell him she didn’t. Kurt had heard her say she didn’t need Noah’s help to get to get anywhere more than once, but Noah had just kept right on appearing at her side with the books she needed for her next class several times a day.

Kurt took a slow deep breath as he leaned back against the door, tipping his head back to look up at the ceiling for a long moment while the first bell rang. He stood in silence for a few moments longer and then closed his eyes and let out a sigh before he murmured to himself, “I really should have known he wouldn’t be here. It was all too good to be true.”

“I am here,” Noah said quietly, making Kurt look towards the other door in surprise just as Noah closed it. “I’m sorry I wasn’t waiting for you, but I heard one of the Cheerios say Freddy and a couple of his buddies were planning to slushy Dean as he walked in this morning. I caught him and Sam on their way in and stayed with Dean until the jocks gave up.”

Kurt remembered the jocks he had just seen and he slowly began to relax, moving away from the door to walk towards his usual chair. “I’m glad you stopped them. Santana and Brittany were looking for Dean a few minutes ago.”

“I know,” Noah said quickly, walking towards Kurt as he shrugged out of the straps on his backpack. “They passed me and Quinn on our way to her Spanish class a while ago. Brit was saying something about hooking up with Dean this morning, so I made sure he ran into them before I headed this way.”

Kurt’s lips twitched. “I doubt he needs your help to get with those two, Noah.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Noah agreed as he turned the chair next to Kurt’s so he could sit backwards in it, facing Kurt as he folded his arms on the back. “But I kinda wanted to distract him from a Cheerio I’ve had my eye on for a while. He told me he’s not interested, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

Kurt tried not to let the little thrill of joy that went through him then show, but when Noah suddenly smiled he realized he had failed. “A Cheerio, hmm?”

“Yeah,” Noah murmured, still smiling. “He’s the hottest thing on the field. Makes me wanna tackle _him_ instead of the other team, especially when he sings. He’s got the voice of an angel.”

Kurt felt his face heating up as he looked down, surprised and pleased. “He sounds … unique.”

“You are,” Noah agreed softly, making Kurt look up at him again, his eyes widening slightly. Noah gave him a soft smile as the expression in his hazel eyes shifted to something gentle and warm. “And I’d really like it if you’d let me be your boyfriend.”

Kurt just smiled and gazed into Noah’s eyes for several moments that seemed like forever to him, thrilled and feeling like he was floating until he remembered the night before. The way Noah had reacted when Mercedes thought Noah was trying to get into Dean’s pants had made it plain he didn’t want even their _friends_ thinking he was the least bit gay, and Kurt had promised himself he would never date another boy that wouldn’t date him publicly. He closed his eyes as his smile disappeared, suddenly pained and wishing that he didn’t know Noah liked him at all.

“Kurt, what’s wrong?” Noah asked suddenly, making Kurt open his eyes again to look at him. Noah was frowning, concerned and obviously upset as he said quickly, “Just tell me and I’ll fix it, I promise.”

Kurt took a moment to get control of himself before he tried to speak. “You made it very clear last night that you don’t want anyone to think you’re bi, Noah,” he said quietly, trying not to cry. “I want to be with you, but I won’t be _anyone’s_ dirty little secret, not again. If you date me, you’ll be called a fag every day just like I am.”

“I would never ask you to hide _anything_ for me,” Noah said firmly as he sat up straighter in his chair.

Kurt just stared at Noah in shock, sure that his ears must be playing tricks on him.

“I want the _whole world_ to know you’re mine,” Noah added, frowning. “I _like_ the fact you’re the most badass diva in the school, and I _can’t_ _wait_ to walk down the hall with you on my arm.” He suddenly shifted in the chair again, taking off his letterman jacket and then offering it to Kurt. “You can even wear my letterman jacket. I want you to.”

Kurt took a shaky breath, smiling as he blinked quickly and tried to keep back the tears he could feel threatening to fall as he took the jacket. He suddenly felt so much relief and hope that it was almost too much, and he had to take a moment to get control of himself before he could speak. “Thank you,” he murmured finally, “but if I wore it with my sweater, I just might die of heat stroke.” Noah blinked, looking a bit sheepish suddenly as Kurt’s smile widened and he added softly, “Besides, Quinn will want it next period. She always gets cold in here.”

Noah just looked at Kurt for a moment longer before he said quietly, “I don’t want you dying, for sure.”

Kurt shifted in his chair, crossing his legs and then looking down at Noah’s letterman jacket as he laid it on his thigh, suddenly feeling very shy and uncertain as he asked, “Noah, why do you want to be with me?” He glanced at Noah and then looked down quickly again, his fingertips slowly running over the leather sleeve of the jacket. “You can have anyone, even now, but dating me will ruin your reputation again.” He smiled crookedly, not looking at Noah. “Dating the school fag isn’t nearly so easy to recover from as getting the head cheerleader pregnant.”

“Fuck my rep,” Noah said immediately, and when Kurt looked at him in surprise he saw Noah was blushing. “I might be able to get laid whenever I want, but I haven’t been. You can ask around.” He blushed even redder, but he didn’t look away despite the suddenly vulnerable look in his eyes as he added more quietly, “It’s… been kinda weird not really wanting every pretty girl I see, but I’m doing better at not getting with them when I’m bored just because I can.”

“It sounds like you’re trying to tell me you’re suddenly _gay_ ,” Kurt said slowly, unable to keep his disbelief out of his voice.

“Not gay,” Noah said quickly, still blushing and looking kind of uncomfortable. “It’s just… I look at girls now and I kinda find myself comparing them to you, and they never measure up. They’re still sexy, but they aren’t who I want, not anymore.”

“Why me?” Kurt asked softly, still stroking the supple leather sleeve of the jacket. He had dreamed more than once of wearing it in the halls while walking hand in hand with Noah, and he couldn’t quite believe that he could ever really live out that dream. “Why _now_?”

“I didn’t know either at first,” Noah admitted quietly, looking down. “You’ve been driving me crazy for _years_ , so I was kind of confused when I started wanting to like, sit and listen to you gossip with the girls. I mean, it used to make me want to pound you when you got all bitchy and superior, and then all of a sudden one day it just made me want to laugh, and then after a while I realized I wanted to pound you again, only not with my fists.” He looked at Kurt quickly then, adding, “But I’m not going to push you for anything like that, so don’t panic. I just want to be with you, I don’t expect you to put out. I _know_ you haven’t ever done anything with a guy, and that you’ve got _plenty_ of reasons not to trust me, so I’ll wait however long you need me to. I mean, I _hope_ you’ll let me kiss you soon because I’ve kind of wanted to for a long time now, but I’ll even wait for that, if you need me to.”

Kurt stared at Noah, not thinking about his words in the slightest before he asked, “What happened to the sex shark?”

“He got caught,” Noah murmured with a one-armed shrug, looking down again. “I know you probably don’t believe me now, but that’s okay.” He lifted his gaze to Kurt’s again, his expressive hazel eyes kind of shy and surprisingly sincere. “I’ll prove it to you, if you give me a chance.”

The late bell rang then and they just looked at each other as the sound faded away, then Kurt finally said quietly, “It looks like we’re skipping home room, so I suppose you’ve got forty-five minutes to start. We’ll see where that takes us.”

Noah smiled, the look in his eyes going gentle and warm again. “You won’t regret it, I promise.”

Kurt couldn’t keep from smiling at that, but he didn’t really try.

 

~*~

 

Puck couldn’t quite believe that it could be so easy to just be _honest_ with Kurt. He had expected a lot of awkwardness and maybe even some torturing because every girl he ever really cared about had made him regret it, but Kurt hadn’t put him through any of that. Kurt listened to him, and shared his own feelings, and then he wanted to really talk _with_ Puck instead of just talking at him and expecting him to listen like so many girls did.

By the time the bell rang for the end of first period, Puck felt like he was flying and he had completely stopped trying to convince himself that he couldn’t possibly be in love. His feelings for Kurt went far beyond sex, and he was finally okay with admitting that. He was sure that Kurt felt the same way about him, even if neither of them had exactly said so, and it made him feel about ten feet tall and bullet proof. The way Kurt was looking at him once Kurt had relaxed made Puck feel completely _awesome_ , and he was determined to never make Kurt regret trusting him with his heart.

“Will you get in trouble for skipping homeroom?” Kurt asked suddenly, giving Puck a little smile even though he looked a bit concerned. “Dad will write me a note so I’ll be fine, but I know Stimson’s always giving you trouble with Coach Tanaka.”

“Eh, I’ll just have shit work to do in athletics today,” Puck said with a shrug. “She saw me in the hall so she won’t mark me absent, but she’s gonna nark on me, for sure. Coach’ll probably have me picking up after the guys leave or something, but it won’t be too bad. At least today’s not laundry day.”

“That’s good, I guess,” Kurt said softly, looking kind of relieved.

Puck stood up suddenly and moved his chair back into line next to Kurt’s, putting their chairs much closer together than they normally would be. He dropped back into his chair and then looked at Kurt, who was blushing and looked kind of surprised. “What?”

“I just didn’t expect you’d want to be so close to me when the others get here,” Kurt murmured, still blushing as he glanced at Puck, then looked back down at the jacket still draped across his lap. “Usually you don’t.”

Puck smiled even though he could feel his own face heating up as he bumped his shoulder against Kurt’s and murmured, “That’s ‘cause every time I get this close I want to touch, but I wasn’t sure you’d like that.”

Kurt glanced at him again, still blushing but looking suddenly happy as he whispered, “I would.”

Puck smiled and reached for Kurt’s hand, taking it and lacing their fingers together before he let their hands rest on the letterman jacket on Kurt’s thigh. “Good to know.”

Kurt smiled, still blushing and looking down at their hands as he murmured, “I want to kiss you soon, too.”

Puck was leaning closer, happy to do anything Kurt asked of him, but then he heard a noise at the door, making him look towards the sound in surprise to see Dean standing in the doorway. Puck felt his face heating up again as he saw how surprised Dean was, but he didn’t move away from Kurt as he watched Dean approach them.

Dean started smirking on his way across the room, and he was looking kind of pleased as he dropped into the chair on Kurt’s left. “So what’re we gonna be doing today, kiddo? Any clue?”

“Not the slightest,” Kurt said, glancing at Dean and then flushing a bit more when he saw the way Dean was smirking as he watched them. 

“Singing is a good bet,” Puck said then, trying hard to act as if nothing unusual was going on even though he suddenly wanted to put his arm around Kurt and stake a claim on him. Dean had said he wasn’t interested in Kurt because of Kurt’s age, and Kurt had told Puck the same thing, but Puck still wanted Dean to know Kurt was _his_. He figured Kurt was pretty damned irresistible, and if he was being honest he had to admit – if only to himself – that Dean was kind of hot, too. With Dean being the only out bisexual guy Kurt knew besides Puck, he figured it perfectly understandable to see Dean as his competition. “But there’s no telling what Schue will throw at us.”

“Classic rock!” Schue said cheerfully, breezing into the room with his briefcase. “I thought today we would do something Dean might know, give him a chance to get used to singing with everyone before practice this afternoon.”

Dean was grinning as he turned his attention to Schue. “Like what, Mr Schue?”

Puck was glad to have Dean distracted from them, especially Kurt. Kurt was blushing and looking shy enough that Puck kind of wanted eat him alive, but he behaved himself and tried to be happy with just holding Kurt’s hand. He was sure that pouncing on him would probably scare Kurt more than a little. Kurt had admitted that he never did more than kiss Jesse, and even that only a few times, so Puck figured he’d be going just as slow as he could stand to go until Kurt made it plain he was ready for more. It was going to drive Puck crazy, and he was sure he’d be jerking off a couple times a day, but he figured Kurt was worth it.

Brad walked in and sat down without looking at anyone or saying a word, though he looked kind of annoyed for a moment after Schue dropped his briefcase on the piano and opened it to take out a sheaf of papers. Puck smirked a bit, wondering if Brad was ever going to do more than glare at Schue for always dropping stuff on the piano and using it as a desk. Brad loved the music room’s piano like most people loved their kids, and was kind of scarily protective of it.

Schue seemed not to notice Brad’s expression or Puck’s smirk, smiling at Dean as he said cheerfully, “Well, I did a little poking around online last night, and I found a really good arrangement of Joe Cocker’s ‘ _With A Little Help From My Friends’_ that I think will work out great for us. We might even use it at Regionals, if everyone likes it. We’ve got to come up with at least one more number in case someone else does one we already have planned. ‘ _It Ain’t No Big Thing’_ is a lot of fun and great for honing our choreography, but I’m not sure it will be the right song to show off everyone’s vocal talents like we need to in competition.”

Mercedes walked in next to Quinn and Rachel then, with Finn trailing along behind them looking kind of amused. Rachel was beaming at Schuester as she walked in and quickly said, “We need more than one extra song in our repertoire, Mr Schuester. After the fiasco at Sectionals we need to be ready to change the entire set list at a moment’s notice.”

Dean leaned over towards Kurt then, drawing Puck’s attention to them as Dean ignored Rachel spewing out a litany of ideas while Schuester tried to get a word in edgewise. “What happened at Sectionals?” Dean asked Kurt softly, looking curious.

“Coach Sylvester gave the other groups our set list,” Kurt said quietly, obviously annoyed at the memory.

“And then they did our songs before we got a chance to,” Puck added as he let go of Kurt’s hand. He leaned even closer to Kurt, moving to casually drape his arm on the back of Kurt’s chair as he looked past Kurt at Dean. “We ended up with about twenty minutes to find and practice new songs.”

“Sylvester sounds like a real piece of work,” Dean said, frowning suddenly.

“Oh, she is,” Puck agreed, amused. “She’s got it in for all of us. Glee steals money from her Cheerio budget, so she wants us dead.”

“Money she can easily spare,” Kurt added with a sniff. “She’s spoiled.”

Puck snickered, giving Kurt a little smirk as he teased gently, “And who was it that got a _brand new_ Navigator with _all_ the bells and whistles for his sweet sixteen?”

Kurt’s eyes widened. “I am not _spoiled,_ Noah!”

Mercedes laughed, making Dean, Kurt, and Puck all look up to see the others were watching them. Quinn and Mercedes were both looking very smug, but Rachel and Finn were wide-eyed and kind of shocked, while Schuester just seemed surprised. Puck moved the arm that was draped on Kurt’s chair slightly, resting his hand on Kurt’s shoulder instead of the chair as he waited for the comments he was sure would start coming any moment. He was sure their friends at least would accept it easily enough, which made it easier to act like nothing unusual was going on.

“Kurt, honey, you _are_ spoiled,” Mercedes said, grinning. “It’s okay, though. It’s really sweet how much your daddy loves you.”

Artie and Tina entered the room then, followed by Mike and Matt with Brittany and Santana, but no one really paid attention to the newcomers.

Puck looked at Kurt then, amused by the way Kurt was blushing at the way everyone was staring at him. Kurt lifted his chin a bit defiantly despite the blush as he said with a hint of sharpness, “You say that like it’s _difficult_ , Mercedes.”

The jazz band slipped past the group lingering near the doorway then, heading over to their instruments without really looking at anyone else, and Puck spared them only a glance before he put his attention back on Kurt and the girls.

 “Puck, dude!” Finn blurted suddenly. “What’s going on with you and Kurt?”

 “What’s it look like, Finn?” Puck asked quickly, looking at Finn as he frowned at Finn’s tone of voice. He expected trouble over being with Kurt, of course, but he hadn’t expected it to come from _Finn_. He was Kurt’s big brother, or would be when Carole and Burt got around to that trip to Vegas Puck had heard Kurt teasing them about, so Puck expected Finn to have Kurt’s back, not cause trouble for him. “I’m dating him. You got a problem with it?”

“No!” Finn answered quickly, his eyes widening, and Puck realized suddenly that Finn was still a little scared of him. “It’s fine, man, I don’t care who you wanna date. Just… I thought you were _straight_.”

Puck opened his mouth to reply but Rachel beat him to it, looking shocked as she blurted out, “You’re dating _Kurt_? But you’ve slept with half the women in the _county_!”

Puck smirked at Rachel. “ _No one_ can resist the Puckasaurus.”

Kurt laughed as he said, “I wouldn’t go quite _that_ far…”

Puck looked at Kurt in surprise. “You wouldn’t?”

Kurt was still blushing, but he looked amused as he smirked slightly at Puck. “Just because I am not immune to you, Noah, doesn’t mean that _no one_ is. The straight boys seem to have no trouble resisting your … rather obvious charms.”

Puck started grinning again, pleased and relieved. “They just don’t know what they’re missing.”

Dean snickered. “Don’t want to know, you mean.”

“That too,” Puck said, smirking at Dean.

Dean smirked right back at Puck. “More girls for me, man.”

“Wait, wait, back up. I think I missed something,” Artie said suddenly, making everyone look over at him as he rolled towards where he usually parked his wheelchair. “Did Puck just _come out_?”

Quinn cheerfully said, “Yes,” at exactly the same time that Finn said, “No!”

Quinn looked at Finn, laughing. “He said he’s _dating Kurt_ , Finn. I think that counts as coming out.”

“He’s not gay!  He can’t be!” Finn looked at Puck, wide-eyed. “Tell them you’re not _gay_ , Puck.”

“Why?” Puck asked Finn, amused by the way Finn seemed to be kind of freaked out by the idea Puck wasn’t straight. He knew Finn well enough to know that Finn was probably worried that if _Puck_ could go gay for a guy like Kurt, then Finn might be next. It was just the way Finn’s mind worked. “It’s not like anyone in this hick town _cares_ about the difference between gay and bi. If I’m gonna be with Kurt – and I definitely am -- I might as well own up to gay and get it over with. I’m gonna catch the same shit anyway.”

The late bell rang suddenly then, interrupting the conversation, and then Schue said, “Take a seat, everyone.”

Schue went to close the doors while everyone who was still standing moved to take a seat, though they kept looking at Puck and Kurt as if they couldn’t quite believe their eyes. Most of them sat in the same chairs they had the day before except for Mercedes, who couldn’t sit in her usual seat because Dean had taken it. She ended up sitting behind Puck next to Rachel, and when Puck glanced back at her he saw she was watching him and Kurt with an ear-to-ear grin that almost made him laugh.

Quinn pulled her chair close Puck’s right side then and sat next to him, leaning against his side as she put an arm around his waist. Puck put his free arm around her shoulders, grinning at her, and then looked back up at Schuester to wait for him to start as if it was the most normal thing in the world for him to have Quinn under one arm and Kurt under the other.

Puck risked a glance at Kurt then and found Kurt gazing at him like he was the most amazing thing Kurt had ever seen. Kurt was beaming and looking like he wanted to kiss him, and it took all of Puck’s willpower to just give Kurt a wink instead of kissing him until they were both breathless. He noticed Dean’s expression out of the corner of his eye as he looked back at Schue, wondering why Dean looked so pleased and even a little awed.

Puck hadn’t really done anything awe-worthy as far as he was concerned, unless maybe Dean was impressed that Puck was publicly admitting how he felt about Kurt. It had been a lot easier than Puck expected it to be, but it had never really been everyone else’s opinion that kept Puck from saying how he felt. It had always been about Kurt and how _he_ would react to knowing a guy that had bullied him for years suddenly had the hots for him.

It had turned out fantastic now that Puck finally scraped up the balls to say something, but he had feared all sorts of scenarios that had featured prominently in his nightmares ever since he realized he had serious feelings for Kurt. The one where Kurt thought Puck’s feelings for him were just some new way to torture him had been particularly painful and etched itself firmly into Puck’s memory. In that particular dream, Kurt had responded to every one of Puck’s advances with a fear bordering on terror, and Kurt had ended up running in front of a speeding semi while trying to get away from him. Puck woke up from that one crying, and it had shaken him to the core. That was the day he had finally stopped bullying even Jacob’s freak squad, and he hadn’t picked on anyone since then. Having people be afraid of him had stopped being fun, unless of course it was Karofsky or one of his meathead friends. The way Puck figured it, they always deserved a little payback for how they terrorized the gleeks.

Schue spoke up suddenly then, and Puck was glad to be distracted from his thoughts. “Before we get started, I just have to say I’m proud of you, Puck.” He walked over to stand in front of the group again, smiling at Puck and Kurt as Puck grinned at Schue being so predictable. “It’s not going to be easy to be so open about who you really are.”

“I don’t have anything to hide, Mr Schue,” Puck said, grinning still even though he suddenly realized he was probably going to hear a lot of people saying pretty much the same thing for a while. Well, the people who weren’t just calling him a fag, at least. “I’m dating the sexiest Cheerio in the school, not _Jacob_.”

“Nobody will tell anyone though, right?” Finn said suddenly, making Puck look over his shoulder at Finn in surprise. Finn was looking around at the rest of the class and looking worried as he added, “I mean, nobody but us has to know.”

Puck raised an eyebrow at Finn as his grin faded away. “Finn, dude. Don’t go trying to stuff me in the closet.”

“Puck, the guys will kick your ass if they find out,” Finn said quickly, looking worried. “They slushied you every day for a _week_ for going out with Rachel, and she’s a _girl_.”

“They can try,” Puck said firmly, “but if they do I’ll hand them their asses. I’m not ashamed of how I feel about Kurt and I’m not gonna lie about it.”

“You’re tough but you can’t take on every jock in the school alone,” Finn said, frowning. “Karofsky and his buddies will kill you _and_ Kurt.”

“He won’t be alone,” Dean said suddenly then, and Puck looked at him quickly in surprise. Dean was blushing, but he was obviously trying to ignore the way everyone was staring at him as he looked at Puck. “I’ve got your back, man, so don’t sweat it. We can take those punks easy.”

Puck stared at Dean, surprised. “You that good in a fight?”

“I can hold my own,” Dean said with a little shrug. “And I’m not gonna stand by and watch a buddy get his ass kicked over who he wants to date. Ain’t nobody’s business but yours.”

“Thanks,” Puck said, his surprise fading into pleasure. It was nice knowing somebody was willing to stand and fight with him, even if it was a guy he had met the day before. He really liked Dean, who had been good company the night before at Kurt’s, and he knew that Dean liked him too. Dean had come out to them because he let Puck hang all over him, after all, so Puck figured Dean probably wanted him. He didn’t plan to do anything about it, but he figured Dean wanting him was a hell of a lot better than the possibility of Dean being interested in Kurt.

“We’ll all stick with you,” Rachel said firmly, drawing Puck’s attention to her as she gave Finn a dirty look and then looked around at the others. “Gleeks have to stick together, right everyone?”

There was a low mutter of agreement as most of them nodded, even Matt, and then Santana added, “And if any of the girls give you trouble, Kurt, you just let me know. Puck may not be able to make himself hit a girl, but I can and _nobody_ messes with my friends.”

Kurt turned to stare at Santana, obviously surprised but looking pleased. “I—Thank you, Santana.”

Santana just smirked and reached over to take Brittany’s hand, making Brittany give Santana a pleased grin as she leaned against Santana’s shoulder. “You’re so awesome,” Brittany said happily, making Santana laugh and preen, smug.

Puck grinned as he decided that he had to do something really nice for Santana, like maybe send her and Brittany to Breadsticks on him. He knew it was Santana’s favorite restaurant, and Brittany always loved it when Santana took her there alone, though it didn’t happen often. Santana put up a good front, but she didn’t have a whole lot of money and seldom had the cash to take Brittany anywhere unless she got some guy to take them both out. Puck figured that the free dates with Brittany were the main reason Santana dated guys at all, really, but he had never minded when it was him they were dating and he knew the other guys who took them out likely felt the same.

Schue spoke up suddenly then, drawing Puck’s attention back to him as he said, “Well, now that that’s all settled, let’s get started on the song for today.” He started walking along the front row of chairs, passing out sheet music with a wide grin as he asked, “Dean, can you read music?”

Puck looked over at Dean curiously, watching as Dean glanced at the sheet music he had just accepted and then looked back up Schue with a grin. “I don’t need to, Mr Schue. I know all the words to this one.”

Schue looked amused. “I meant the _music_ , Dean. Everything on the lines below the lyrics.”

Dean’s eyes went almost comically wide, and Puck had to fight not to snicker as Dean blurted, “You’re kiddin’ me, right?”

“No, I’m not,” Schue said, and Puck smirked at how worried Schue appeared as it seemed to sink in just how far out of his element Dean really was. “You’ll probably need to learn if you’re going to keep up.”

“Joy,” Dean muttered, giving the sheet music he was holding a dirty look.

Kurt laughed and reached over to pat Dean’s knee, making Puck have to quash a sudden urge to pull Kurt closer to him. “Don’t worry, you’ll do fine.”

Dean snorted and gave Kurt a skeptical look. “I’m glad somebody thinks so.”

Puck tightened his arm around Kurt a little as he tipped his head back to look past Kurt at Dean, smirking. “Just stick with whatever part I’m singing, Dean. Mr Schue mostly put us together anyway, and you’ve got the voice to handle anything I can sing.”

“Yeah, that sounds easy enough,” Dean agreed, brightening a bit. “How do I tell what part you’re supposed to be singin’, though?”

Kurt snickered and leaned away from Puck to reach into his messenger bag for a blue highlighter before he took Dean’s sheet music, giving Dean a smug smile. “You let me mark it for you.”

“Thanks,” Dean said, looking relieved.

Puck watched as Kurt quickly skimmed through the song, highlighting the choruses and all of the lines marked as second baritone, which was Puck’s spot in the group. Kurt paused when he was more than halfway through and then highlighted two lines that were labeled third baritone before he went on, marking the last two runs of the chorus as Puck glanced at Schue, wondering why Dean already had solo lines. Puck had been part of the group for _weeks_ before Schue gave him any solo lines in a performance, even after Puck sang lead with the Acafellas, so it rankled a bit that Dean was being allowed to step into it so easy. Sure he could sing, but so could Puck, and Puck could also play the guitar, drums, _and_ the piano, as long as Brad wasn’t around to glare him to death for touching it.

“Okay,” Schue said, “Let’s get started, shall we?” He looked over at the band expectantly and Jeremy nodded, picking up his drumsticks and getting ready to start. “Alright,” Schue said cheerfully, looking back at the others. “And one, two, three…”

Schue stepped backwards as the band began to play, and Puck looked quickly at his own sheet music to make sure he didn’t have to sing first, then looked back at Kurt. Kurt passed Dean’s music back over and then settled against Puck’s side again, glancing at him with a little smile. Puck smiled back and then Kurt looked down at his sheet music, blushing while Rachel began to sing.

“ _What would you think if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and walk out on me?_ ”

Puck followed Kurt’s example and began following along on his sheet music as Artie picked up where Rachel left off, singing, “ _Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song, and I'll try not to sing out of key_.”

The chorus was marked for everyone to sing so Puck began singing then, and he had to grin when he realized having Kurt so close while they sang made it easy to hear him clearly over the others. He liked listening to the whole group, of course, but Kurt’s voice could just _soar_ over the others when Kurt let it, and Puck loved listening to him. “ _Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends. Mm-mm, I get high with a little help from my friends. Mm-mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends_.”

Puck had the next line so he went on at the end of the chorus, glancing to be sure Dean was singing too as he sang, “ _What do I do when my love is away_?”

“ _Does it worry you to be alone?”_ Quinn, Brittany, and Santana sang, all of them smiling.

Dean was looking a bit unsure so Puck grinned encouragingly at him as they both sang, “ _How do I feel by the end of the day_?”

“ _Are you sad because you're on your own_?” Quinn, Brittany, and Santana sang, and then everyone sang the chorus together again.

“ _No, I get by with a little help from my friends. Mm-mm, I get high with a little help from my friends. Mm-mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends_.”

Mercedes picked up there, and Puck glanced over his shoulder at her, grinning and enjoying the rich tone of her voice as always. “ _Do you need anybody?_ ”

Puck looked quickly at Kurt, who he knew was supposed to sing next, and their eyes met just as Kurt gave him a shy little smile and sang,  “ _I need somebody to love_.”

“ _Could it be anybody_?” Mercedes sang, smirking as she watched Kurt and Puck.

“ _I want somebody to love_ ,” Kurt sang, his eyes widening as Puck joined in with him, harmonizing effortlessly a third below Kurt’s much higher voice.

“ _Would you believe in a love at first sight_?” Dean sang then, but Puck didn’t bother to look at him. He was too busy staring into Kurt’s eyes and wishing they were alone so he could kiss Kurt until neither one of them could remember how to breathe. Going by the look in Kurt’s eyes, he was sure that Kurt wouldn’t mind.

Tina picked up the next line, and Puck could tell from the sound of her voice that she was beaming even though he didn’t even glance away from Kurt’s shining blue eyes. “ _Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time_.”

“ _What do you see when you turn out the light_?” Dean sang, sounding kind of surprised, and Puck figured he had just realized he had his own part of the song.

“ _I can't tell you but I know it's mine_ ,” Tina replied, still sounding happy as could be.

“ _Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends_ ,” everyone sang, but Puck didn’t look away from Kurt even as he joined in. The look in Kurt’s eyes was all shy and soft and almost glowing, and Puck kind of loved that he had been the one to make Kurt so happy. “ _Mm-mm, I get high with a little help from my friends. Mm-mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends.”_

Puck picked up the next line with Finn, making Finn stop singing in surprise. “ _Do you need anybody_?”

“ _I just need someone to love_ ,” Kurt sang with Rachel, smiling and watching Puck with sparkling eyes.

“ _Could it be anybody?_ ” Puck sang, giving Kurt a little grin as he wondered if he could talk Kurt into at least a little kissing during lunch. He wanted a lot more, of course, but he would settle for a kiss and the chance to hold Kurt for a few minutes.

Kurt’s eyes widened but he looked even happier as he sang the next line alone. “ _I want somebody to love_.”

Everyone joined in together for the last two lines, singing, “ _Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends. With a little help from my friends_.”

“Wonderful!” Schue said when the music ended, clapping as most of the class cheered themselves on and exchanged high-fives.

Puck ignored Schue and the others, leaning a little closer to Kurt and gazing into Kurt’s sparkling blue eyes as he murmured, “Can I have the job?” He paused and then added softly, “I’ll work hard at getting it right, I promise.”

“Oh yes,” Kurt whispered, beaming at Puck.

Puck smirked and kissed Kurt gently, letting himself linger only a moment before he looked up at Schue and tried to pretend nothing unusual had happened, even though he was feeling kind of smug.

Puck could see it out of the corner of his eye as Kurt lifted one hand to touch his lips, and then Kurt let his hand fall and shifted in his chair to lean more against Puck’s side as he rested his cheek against Puck’s shoulder. Puck tightened his arm around Kurt a little more, giving him a squeeze as he glanced at him, and he loved the fact that he had put such a happy, beaming smile on Kurt’s face. He made himself look at Schue again, but he kept his arm around Kurt more tightly than before, keeping Kurt close to his side.

Schue was grinning widely and looking pleased as he said, “We might have just found another alternate for Regionals, guys. That sounded really great.”

Rachel spoke up then, and Puck could tell from the sound of her voice that she was beaming, even though he didn’t bother looking at her. “We need to shift the parts around a little if we do use it at Regionals, Mr Schue, but I think you’re right. We did sound very good.”

“And of course you’re not saying that because you sang lead,” Santana said, and Puck did glance back then to see Santana was smirking at Rachel.

“Oh, of course not,” Quinn agreed, laughing.

Rachel made a face at Quinn. “I’m not!” She looked at Kurt and Puck then, beaming at Puck as she added, “I think Noah and Kurt need to take the lead for the first and last verses. They’ve got the perfect voices for the song, and they don’t get nearly enough solos.”

Kurt turned in his chair to look at Rachel, wide-eyed. “Who are you and what did you do with Rachel Berry?”

Rachel looked shocked as everyone started laughing.

 

~*~

 

Kurt was walking out of his fourth period Psychology class when Noah suddenly appeared next to him. Noah gave him a smirky little smile, his hazel eyes warm as he murmured, “Hey babe.”

Kurt smiled at Noah, trying to ignore the flutter of excitement he felt when Noah looked at him like that. He had never expected he might _like_ being called ‘babe’, but if the way he felt when Noah said it was any indication, it was going to become one of his favorite things. “Hello.”

Noah reached for Kurt’s books, taking them to tuck them under his left arm and then offering Kurt his right elbow with a smile as he asked softly, “Can I walk you to your locker?”

Kurt was sure he should probably hate the idea of Noah treating him like a girl, but it just made him feel all warm and kind of tingly. “I’d like that,” he said with a happy smile, taking Noah’s arm and moving closer to his side.

Kurt pretended not to notice the three jocks that were staring at them from across the hall, looking kind of shocked to see Noah with Kurt. Karofsky was one of them, and Kurt was sure that they had been waiting for him. They all had slushies in hand, and Kurt was rather sure that they had intended the slushies for him, despite the way Noah had beaten up Azimio the last time Kurt was slushied.

Noah started down the hall slowly, ignoring everyone around them and keeping his gaze on Kurt’s face as he asked, “We eating lunch here, or going out?”

Kurt smiled at Noah. “Here? Mercedes made me promise I’d eat lunch with her today.”

“Cool,” Noah said easily, smiling as he glanced ahead of them and then looked back at Kurt. “She’s good company.”

“You don’t mind, do you?” Kurt asked softly, not really paying attention to where they were going as Noah steered him along the halls about half as fast as the people around them seemed to be walking. Everyone else was either staring at them or in a hurry to get to lunch – likely so they could gossip, Kurt was sure – but Noah seemed to want nothing more than to be with Kurt. It made Kurt feel like he was floating as he wondered if he was having a particularly nice dream or if his life could possibly be suddenly going so well.

“Nah, I’ll just get a burger from the hot line,” Noah said quickly, still smiling. “It won’t be a bacon cheeseburger, but it’ll do.”

Kurt pursed his lips slightly, amused. “Noah, you’re _Jewish_. I don’t know all of the rules, but I’m very sure that you’re not supposed to eat _bacon_. Quinn complains constantly that your mom won’t allow it in the house.”

Noah grinned, his hazel eyes sparkling with amusement and a little wickedness. “Or decent pizza either, babe, but what my Mom doesn’t know won’t hurt me.”

Kurt laughed quietly and leaned closer to Noah without really thinking about it as he murmured, “I never did understand keeping kosher.”

“Neither does my mom,” Noah said with a snicker. “She’s made a ritual out of eating sweet and sour pork every year on Simchat Torah while we watch ‘ _Schindler’s List_ ’.”

Kurt blinked and then let out a little giggle even though he tried hard to stifle it. “Oh my God.” He didn’t know a lot about the Jewish faith, it was true, but he knew enough to be sure that eating pork on any holy day had to be right up there near the top of the list of sins to avoid.

Noah grinned at him. “I know, right? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I _am_ glad she stopped with the whole not doing _anything_ but cooking and going to temple on Simchat Torah thing, and the sweet and sour pork is okay, I guess, but I could totally do without that movie. It makes Sarah cry every time, and then Mom still always wants to watch it two or three times in a row. She has a fit if I don’t sit through it at least once with her, and I swear the damned thing gets longer every year.”

“I’m sorry, but that movie doesn’t get better with repeats,” Kurt said with a soft laugh. “I’m sure you must dread when the end of September comes around.”

“Well, not so much, really,” Noah admitted, looking amused as he stopped and moved to lean against the locker next to Kurt’s. “She lets me skip school for all the Jewish holidays, and had such a fit when Figgy called to tell her I was cutting school one time freshman year that now he never says a word no matter how often I’m absent.”

Kurt worked the combination on his locker and then took his books from Noah to put them away neatly, giving Noah an amused look. “Which isn’t very often at all.”

Noah grinned. “Not any more, but I used to cut homeroom all the time, so I got marked absent a lot. That’s part of why I flunked last year.”

“Which is ridiculous,” Kurt pointed out, smiling a bit. “It’s not like you’re stupid or anything.”

“I know,” Noah agreed, amused. “I’m surprised you do, though. Most everyone thinks I’m an idiot.” He let out a little laugh. “And a jerk that kicks more than a little ass when I need to, but yeah.”

Kurt smiled and closed his locker as he teased, “You’re only as stupid as you want to be, Noah. I remember that when you were in seventh grade you were tutoring Santana, Mike, and Quinn in Math _and_ Science, even if no one else does.”

Noah grinned and ran one hand over his mohawk, looking a bit sheepish. “My mom remembers. She’s always asking what happened to make me stop caring about school.”

Kurt leaned against his locker as he asked softly, “What did happen?”

Noah shrugged one shoulder, giving Kurt a wry little grin. “Girls. Chasing skirts was more fun than doing homework.”

Kurt’s lips twitched in amusement. “And now?”

Noah blinked, looking surprised and then wry. “You’re not going to let me talk you into making out until after your homework is done, are you?”

Kurt smirked and stepped in closer to Noah, looking up into his eyes as he murmured, “Not just _my_ homework, Noah.” He leaned up to kiss Noah lightly and then turned away, grabbing Noah’s hand to lead him down the hall towards a nearby storage closet. He felt like his face was on fire, and he was nervous, but he was also feeling kind of powerful as he checked the hall for teachers and then tugged Noah into the tiny room, flipping on the light switch. The room was rather dusty from disuse, and the light was dim as if the bulb was a very low wattage, but there was still enough light to see by. The walls were lined with shelves of books, and a stack of boxed textbooks not quite waist high took up about half of the floor space.

Noah closed the door behind them, his eyebrows up in surprise even though he was grinning. “I like this idea,” he murmured, moving in close while Kurt put his messenger bag on a shelf that looked at least mostly clean. “Please tell me that I can kiss you now.”

“Hold that thought, Noah,” Kurt murmured as he turned to Noah and put one hand on Noah’s chest to stop him, amused and blushing as he tried to ignore the way touching Noah’s warm, muscular chest made his jeans suddenly feel tighter. “And let me have your jacket.”

“Sure.” Noah quickly shrugged out of the jacket, grinning and curious as he passed it over.

Kurt moved to put Noah’s letterman jacket on the boxes and then lightly hopped up to sit on the jacket, pleased that sitting on the boxes brought him up to Noah’s height. He smiled at Noah’s surprised expression, holding out his hand to him as he asked, “Now where were we?”

“One of my better dreams,” Noah murmured, ignoring Kurt’s hand as he moved in close and reached for Kurt’s sides to slide his arms around Kurt’s waist loosely. Kurt shifted on the box, moving his legs apart to let Noah move closer, and Noah gazed into Kurt’s eyes for a moment before he moved into the space between Kurt’s thighs as he asked softly, “How far is this going, babe?”

Kurt felt his face heating up even more as he lifted his hands to either side of Noah’s neck, staring into warm hazel eyes and loving the gentle, adoring expression in them. “I’m not sure.” He smiled, moving one hand to toy with the velvety hair at the nape of Noah’s neck as he whispered, “Kiss me, and let’s find out.”

Noah let out a soft strangled noise, leaning in to kiss Kurt softly before he whispered, “If you want me to stop, just let me know.”

“Won’t happen, sweetheart,” Kurt whispered back, smiling as he ran his fingers up through the back of Noah’s mohawk. He loved the way it felt against his palm and fingers, soft and fuzzy almost like very deep, plush velvet, and he found himself stroking it again without really intending to.

Noah stared into Kurt’s eyes for a moment as if he was searching for something, and then suddenly he was kissing Kurt. Noah kept the kiss slow and gentle enough at first that it made Kurt’s heart soar as he melted closer to Noah with a low hum, lips parting as he relaxed into Noah’s arms and stopped trying to think.

 

~*~

 

Puck ran his hand along Kurt’s thigh slowly, stroking over tight red denim towards Kurt’s ass as he licked and nibbled gently at Kurt’s throat, careful not to leave a mark. He knew that Kurt would hate it if he marked him, at least now, and he didn’t want to do anything that Kurt might not like. So far he had managed to walk the fine line between making out and going too far, and Kurt was enjoying it enough that he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be very long at all before Kurt was as eager as he was to try other things.

 Kurt was holding on to Puck’s shoulders like they were all that was keeping him upright and making soft little noises that made Puck smirk as he licked a slow trail up Kurt’s throat towards his ear. He wasn’t sure how long they had been in the tiny storage room making out, but it had been long enough that he was very glad he had gone commando that morning. His dick was so hard it was right on the edge between pleasure and pain if he brushed up against Kurt, and underwear would have been torture.

He knew Kurt was as hard as he was, though he had been careful not to make it obvious he noticed the hard bulge of Kurt’s erection when Kurt had been pressed so close to him a little while earlier, and he was feeling more than a little smug about it. It wasn’t easy to keep himself from pulling Kurt’s hips against his to grind against him until they both came so hard they saw stars, but Puck figured he was doing a damned good job of behaving himself, at least until Kurt’s back pocket began to vibrate against his fingertips.

Puck groaned softly and nuzzled Kurt’s ear, whispering, “Tell me we can ignore that.”

Kurt twisted to kiss him hard enough to make Puck growl, and then Kurt pulled away to look into his eyes, licking his lips before he murmured, “It’s probably Mercedes. I promised I’d eat with her.”

Puck sighed and kissed Kurt again, softly this time, then pulled away as he tried to memorize how Kurt looked with his blue eyes gone dark and hungry and his skin flushed, his lips red and slightly swollen from kissing. “Answer it then, babe.”

Kurt just looked at Puck for a moment longer before he reached for his back pocket, taking out his Blackberry to check the screen. He made a face at it and then tapped the screen, lifting the phone to his ear as the callback went through.

Puck could hear the click when someone answered it a moment later, and then Mercedes’ voice said, “ _Please_ tell me you’re not in some storage closet making out with Puckerman.”

Puck snorted. “I love you too, Aretha.”

Kurt looked like he was trying not to laugh as Mercedes said, “I knew it!”

“We’ll be there in a few minutes, Mercedes,” Kurt said firmly, still looking amused as he gazed into Puck’s eyes. “We’re still going to eat with you, I promise.”

“You’d better,” Mercedes said a bit sharply. “I could have gone to Sonic, but I stayed to eat with my _best friend_.”

Kurt’s lips twitched. “We’ll be there soon.”

“You damn sure will, if you know what’s good for you,” Mercedes said, and then she hung up.

Kurt turned his phone off again and then put it back into his pocket, looking at Puck a bit sheepishly despite his amusement. “I kind of wish I hadn’t promised to eat with her. I wanted to see where this was heading.”

Puck smiled and moved closer to kiss Kurt softly again, then murmured, “Wherever you wanted it to.”

“Surely you had some sort of plan,” Kurt murmured, looking amused.

Puck grinned. “I just wanted to kiss you and maybe get to hold you, and I did that.” He leaned to kiss Kurt again, lingering for a long moment, then whispered, “Everything else I’ll wait for as long as you need me to, babe. I meant it when I said I’m not gonna push you into anything.”

Kurt smiled and kissed him again, soft and sweet, then blushed as he admitted softly, “I hate leaving you … wanting.”

“I can take care of it later,” Puck murmured, even though it was going to be kind of uncomfortable walking around until his hard-on got with the program and went away. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

Kurt blushed even more, looking down as he toyed with the collar of Puck’s t-shirt and murmured, “What if I don’t want you to have to do that?” He glanced up at Puck through his eyelashes. “What if I want to take care of it for you?”

Puck smiled and leaned in to kiss Kurt gently, lingering for a few minutes as he tried to put how he felt about Kurt into it, and when he finally pulled away Kurt was breathless and obviously wanting much more. “You still feel that way on Friday, babe, and I’ll be glad to let you give me a hand.”

Kurt blinked in surprise and then he smiled wryly. “I never thought you would be the one slowing _me_ down.”

Puck felt his face heating up a bit as he admitted quietly, “I just don’t want to move too fast and make you regret it later.” He lifted one hand to Kurt’s cheek, smiling at the way Kurt leaned into his touch. “You deserve better.”

“How is it I never heard the girls talk about how _sweet_ you can be?” Kurt asked softly, still leaning into Puck’s hand.

Puck let out a soft little surprised laugh, his face burning a little hotter. “Probably because they didn’t think I was.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Kurt murmured, moving his hands up to the back of Puck’s neck again to toy with his mohawk. “I _know_ you’re sweet to Quinn, I’ve seen it, but she never talks about it.”

Puck licked his lips, trying not to be obvious about how much he liked the feel of Kurt’s fingers stroking his hair as he admitted, “I didn’t treat any of the girls I dated as good as I should have.” He looked down, feeling sheepish and kind of ashamed. “The only one I ever really cared that much about was Quinn, and I think it kinda showed.”

Kurt moved one hand to Puck’s chin, lifting it until Puck met his gaze. Kurt gave him a soft, sweet smile as he murmured, “I already knew that, sweetheart. I’m just kind of surprised you aren’t treating me like you did them.”

“I can’t,” Puck whispered, determined to be honest even though his first instinct was to pretend nothing really mattered to him like he had done for so long. “I never felt about them like I do about you.”

Kurt’s expressive blue eyes widened slightly in surprise as he moved his hand back to the nape of Puck’s neck, asking quietly, “Even Quinn?”

Puck felt his face heating up again as he shrugged slightly. “She’s my best friend, and I love her a hell of a lot, but it’s different.” Kissing Kurt had made that even more obvious to Puck, made him very certain he had never loved Quinn the way he thought he did, but at the time he had thought he did. He loved her more than any other girl he ever kissed, but it still didn’t really compare to what he felt for Kurt. “I just didn’t really realize that until after I had already fucked up her life.”

“She was there too, Noah,” Kurt said gently. “It wasn’t all your fault. I’ve listened to the gossip about you as much as anyone, even heard Santana and Brittany wax poetic about you a few times, and I _know_ you never touch anyone who tells you no.”

“She was too far gone to really say no by the time we got that far,” Puck admitted very softly. “She was drunk off her ass and horny, and then she climbed in my lap and her squirming around made me hard as hell. I hadn’t gotten laid in a couple of days and I was nearly as drunk as she was, so I started teasing her until she practically ordered me to fuck her.”

Kurt smiled softly. “Please listen to yourself.”

Puck blinked, confused for a moment until he thought back over what he had just said, and then he murmured, “It was still my fault, babe. I could have stopped it, but I didn’t.”

“Maybe,” Kurt agreed, “but she _did_ want it as bad as you did. I’ve heard her say so.” His lips twitched and then he added, “Just about all she remembers about it is how badly she wanted you, which means it wasn’t entirely your fault, no matter what you did.”

Puck just gazed into Kurt’s eyes for a few minutes, feeling a bit lost as he finally asked softly, “How can you think so highly of me, after all I’ve done?”

“I’m talented,” Kurt said with a sudden little smirk, making Puck laugh softly as Kurt pulled him into another kiss.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

 

 

Kurt was still blushing almost as red as his jeans when he walked into the cafeteria with Noah, kind of mortified even though he was thrilled, too. Noah was holding his hand as they walked into the fairly crowded room, and he was wearing Noah’s letterman jacket open over his tight white t-shirt. He had taken off his sweater, folding it neatly into his messenger bag so he could wear the jacket without overheating too badly. “I still can’t _believe_ you told her that, Noah.”

Noah smirked and bumped his shoulder gently against Kurt’s. “You never played that game?”

“We were in that closet a lot more than seven minutes,” Kurt said quickly, giving Noah a quelling look as he wondered if he could spontaneously combust from blushing. If he could, he was definitely in trouble, though at least he didn’t have an erection any more so he was saved that little bit of utter embarrassment. Stepping out of a storage closet to come face to face with Miss Pillsbury had been as effective as any cold shower. “And while it _was_ heavenly, _Miss Pillsbury_ definitely didn’t need to know that.”

It was a bit surreal that _anyone_ could make it to Miss Pillsbury’s age so completely innocent, but it seemed as though she had somehow managed it. Kurt had felt like he was corrupting a five year old when she stared at him and Noah as she figured it out, going beet red and all Bambi-eyed as she tried to pretend she wasn’t embarrassed and asked why they were in the storage closet. Noah had given her a shameless little smirk and asked if she ever played seven minutes in heaven, and then Miss Pillsbury had squeaked and mumbled something about meeting a student before she fled.

Kurt was very sure he’d have lots of pamphlets about self-esteem and peer pressure not being a good enough reason for sex in his future, not to mention at least one very awkward trip to her office to try to explain himself. He liked Miss Pillsbury and he didn’t want her thinking he was having sex in closets on school grounds, even though he had a strong suspicion he would be doing just that someday soon. If Mercedes hadn’t gotten impatient and called him, they might have already gotten that far, if Kurt had been able to coax Noah into it. Noah wanted to go slow, yes, but Kurt rather thought he could have found the words to convince Noah he was ready for more if he had been given a little more time to work with.

Noah’s smirk turned wicked. “As tight at your jeans are, babe, _nobody_ had to tell her what we were doing.”

Kurt let out a strangled little laugh. “I’m going to go get my lunch now and try to forget you just said that.”

Noah laughed and let go of his hand. “Sure, babe. Meet you at the table.”

“Definitely,” Kurt agreed, already moving quickly towards the cold line.

It only took Kurt a few minutes to make his way through the cold line because almost everyone had already eaten, and soon he was carrying his tray towards the table where he and Mercedes usually ate. The vegetable sticks he usually got were all gone, as was the fruit, but there were croutons, cheese, and bacon bits left, as well as mixed lettuces with shredded carrots. He had ended up with a small plate of salad with several small bowls of the add-ins that were still available surrounding it, and he had grabbed a bottled water even though the cafeteria charged an outrageous price for it.

Kurt paid for his lunch and then started toward his usual table, trying to ignore the whispers and comments from people he passed as he wondered why the lunch ladies couldn’t let them have a real salad bar like a civilized school. He thought the little bowls of add-ins were ridiculous and just made more work for everyone involved, but the lunch ladies were ferocious if anyone tried to build their salad in line and leave the bowls behind. He had made that mistake just once as a freshman and then built his salad at the table afterwards, if he got stuck with one. It wasn’t his first choice because he couldn’t take the leftovers with him to snack on later if he didn’t have time to finish, but it was much better than anything he could get off the hot line, at least as far as his complexion was concerned.

Quinn was sitting by Mercedes with Rachel and Finn across the table from them, leaving just two empty seats on opposite sides of the table unless Kurt or Noah asked someone to move. Noah sat down by Mercedes as Kurt approached the table, which meant Kurt was going to have to sit by Rachel even though he would have preferred to sit anywhere else. Listening to Rachel wasn’t one of his favorite things, especially when Finn was sitting by her. They could be sickeningly sweet and it always made him want to roll his eyes and tell them to get a room, neither of which ever went over well with Rachel or Finn.

Noah grinned as Kurt started to walk past him, reaching out as soon as Kurt got close enough to hook his fingers into the pocket of his jeans. “Have a seat, babe.”

Kurt laughed, blushing as Noah tugged him towards him. “If you make me dump my lunch I might have to hurt you.”

Noah’s grin widened as he used his free hand to take Kurt’s tray and put it on the table. “There, your tray’s safe.” He wrapped both arms around Kurt and pulled Kurt down into his lap, his grin turning wicked as he murmured, “Now hold still.”

Noah didn’t give Kurt a chance to argue before he was kissing him slow and deep with more than a little tongue, and Kurt just melted into it with a soft little moan as he slid his arms up around Noah’s neck despite his best intentions. The way Noah kissed him made him feel completely different than it had felt to kiss Jesse, and Kurt couldn’t make himself give up the chance to kiss Noah again. Noah’s kisses made him feel loved and special and very wanted, and even the sudden shocked silence in the cafeteria wasn’t enough to make him want to pull away. Actually, if he was completely honest with himself, the obviously shocked reaction from the students around them just made him want to stay a little longer and make that much more of a statement. Noah was _his_ now, and he wanted the whole school to know it, even if they did start whispering about them.

“Ladyface!”

Kurt pulled away from Noah quickly, twisting to look towards Coach Sylvester’s voice in surprise. “Ma’am?”

“This is a cafeteria, not a gay bar,” Sylvester said as she walked towards them quickly, scowling. “Save the lap dance for after school.”

Kurt felt like his face was on fire as he tried to move off of Noah’s lap, but Noah’s grip tightened on him, making Kurt look at him in surprise. Noah was ignoring him, frowning up at Coach Sylvester as he said firmly, “He’ll move just as soon as you make all the other Cheerios that are sitting in someone’s lap move, ma’am.”

Kurt stared at Noah for a moment and then looked quickly at Sylvester to see what she thought of that.

Sylvester had stopped next to their table and looked surprised as she just stared at Noah and Kurt for a moment before she looked around the cafeteria. Kurt looked around too and saw that most of the Cheerios were cuddling with their boyfriends or girlfriends, as usual. Every couple was a boy and a girl except for Brittany and Santana, and they were all staring at Kurt and Noah or at Sylvester, but a few of the girls _were_ in their boyfriends’ laps much the same way Kurt was in Noah’s.

“He’s got a good point,” Sylvester barked out suddenly. “This is a high school, not a brothel! Hands off the ladies, boys!” She looked at Kurt and Noah again as the Cheerios all scrambled to obey. “Well? Are you going to let go of him now?”

Kurt looked at Noah and patted his chest gently as he murmured, “Let me up, sweetheart. It’s okay.” Noah looked kind of mulish but let go of Kurt, who stood and moved to sit down across from Noah by Rachel, looking up at Sylvester. “Is that better, ma’am?”

Sylvester stared at Noah for a moment longer and then nodded curtly, looking at Kurt. “Much.” She paused and then added much more quietly, “Glad to see you finally grew a pair and did something about that whole gay thing, Ladyface. Maybe _you_ can keep Sperm Donor here on a short enough leash that he won’t be knocking up any more of my Cheerios.”

Noah flushed, scowling as Kurt frowned and said just a bit sharply, “His name is _Puck_ , ma’am, and he doesn’t need a _leash_.”

Sylvester snorted. “I _know_ his _name_.” She turned and stalked away towards the nearest door without another word.

“I can’t _believe_ you two!” Rachel whispered furiously a moment later, making Kurt turn his head to look at her in surprise. She was wide-eyed and looked scandalized as she added quietly, “Could you _possibly_ try any harder to piss her off?”

“Yeah, I could,” Noah said sharply, and when Kurt looked back at him he saw Noah was still scowling. “She’s got no right to treat us any different from any other couple, Berry. I would have thought that with all the crap your dads go through, you would be the first one to stand up for Kurt when he needs it. If the _girls_ on her fuckin’ Cheerio squad can sit in their boyfriends’ laps at lunch, then there’s no reason that Kurt can’t do the same with me if he wants to. He’s got just as much right to enjoy himself as anyone else in this school, and so do I.”

Kurt looked at Rachel, wondering how she’d react to that, and he was surprised to see that Rachel looked kind of shocked. After a moment longer the shock visibly turned to shame and then she said quietly, “You’re right, Noah. I should.” She looked at Kurt, adding, “I’m sorry, Kurt.”

Kurt smiled slightly at Rachel. “It’s okay.”

Noah looked down at his plate as he pulled the top off of his cheeseburger bun and then ripped open a packet of mayo to squeeze it on the sandwich. “Of course I’m right, I’m _always_ right.”

Kurt’s lips twitched at that and he didn’t stop to think before he said, “No, as I recall, right now you’re most definitely left.” He blushed very red as soon as he said it, a little surprised at himself, but the look on Noah’s face was worth it.

Noah was giving him a sudden wicked grin, and his hazel eyes were sparkling and kind of hungry looking. “Commando’s great for that. Lots of room to get comfortable, no matter how happy I am to see you.”

Kurt laughed at that, he couldn’t help it, but he was the only one who did.

“Eww!” Mercedes blurted, making Kurt bite his lower lip to stifle his amusement as he watched Mercedes give Noah a shove. “Stop talkin’ about _your dick_ at the _table_ , Puckerman! Some of us are trying to _eat_.”

Quinn giggled on the other side of Mercedes, looking very amused as she teased, “He can’t help it, Mercedes. Kurt let him get a little for the first time in weeks.”

“I did not!” Kurt blurted, feeling like his face was suddenly on fire again. “That’s why he’s so glad he’s going commando.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t let him,” Noah added, smirking as Kurt looked at him in surprise. “Not in a closet.”

“Oh. My. God,” Mercedes said, shocked. Kurt dragged his gaze away from Noah to see Mercedes was starting at Noah like he had just grown a set of antlers. “You led my boy on and then told him _no_?”

Noah blinked in surprise as he stared at Mercedes for a second and then laughed. “I won’t ever tell him _no_ , Aretha. I just don’t want him doing something _in a storage closet_ that I _know_ he’s gonna regret once he’s not so horny he can’t see straight.” He smirked, smug. “He can’t resist me when I’ve got my tongue in his mouth and my hands on his ass, but once he could think again he was glad I stopped.”

“Can you two stop being so _gay_ and change the subject, please?” Finn blurted suddenly, and when Kurt looked past Rachel he saw that Finn looked a little nauseated and very freaked out. “To like, _anything_ else?”

Kurt laughed despite his annoyance, he couldn’t help it. “Only if you and Rachel will refrain from _cooing_ at each other around _me_ ever again.” He paused slightly and added, “And it would be nice if you didn’t make out, either.” He made a face, adding, “Or discuss anything about the _mailman_.”

Finn blinked, looking confused even though he had blushed very red at the mention of the mailman. “That’s different!”

“No it’s not, Finn,” Quinn said quickly, frowning across the table at Finn. “They have just as much right to be happy as you do.”

Finn looked at Quinn, still obviously confused as he said, “I don’t mind if they’re _happy_ —“

“Then shut the fuck up, Finnessa,” Noah interrupted sharply, making Finn stare as everyone looked at Noah in surprise. He looked as if he were more than a little pissed, and Kurt wondered if there was some reason he didn’t know about that Noah was angry with Finn. Noah was usually pretty tolerant of Finn being an idiot and often made excuses for him to other people when Finn wasn’t around to explain himself. Kurt had even overheard Noah one day telling _Rachel_ that Finn was dumb as a box of rocks so she couldn’t hold anything Finn said against him unless she talked to him about it and made sure Finn actually _understood_ what he had said. The sad thing was that Kurt had to agree. “You can either learn to deal with the fact Kurt’s got someone who wants to be with him and isn’t afraid to show it, or you can just carry your lanky ass off and go be homophobic somewhere else.”

“I’m not homophobic,” Finn said quickly, looking surprised. “How could I be like that that and live with him?”

Noah snorted. “Well, you sure could’ve fooled me. First you were trying to get me to stay in the closet earlier, and now you’re telling me and Kurt not to act _gay_. That seems pretty homophobic if you think about it _at all_ , Finn.”

Finn looked at Kurt, still surprised but suddenly frowning. “You _know_ that I’m not like that, Kurt, right? No matter _what_ he says.”

Kurt stared at Finn for a moment and then said slowly, “I try to cut you plenty of slack, Finn, because I know you don’t usually _mean_ to be an ass, but sometimes when you say hurtful things you make me wonder a little bit, too.”

Finn looked hurt and upset. “How can you say that? I’m your _brother_ , or as good as. We eat breakfast together every day!”

“If you’re his _brother_ , Finn, you shouldn’t be trying to make him play straight so _your_ rep won’t suffer,” Noah pointed out just a little sharply, making Finn look at him again. “Forget all you don’t like about me, man, and think about Kurt. Asking him not to act gay is like asking Rachel not to _sing_. It’s part of who he is, you dumbass, and it’s _mean_ to tell him to hide such a big part of himself.”

Finn stared at Noah for a moment as what Noah was saying seemed to really sink in, and then Finn looked at Kurt as he said quietly, “I didn’t mean it like that, Kurt.”

“I’m glad, Finn. That’s really nice to know,” Kurt said quietly, not really wanting to continue the conversation at all and hoping everyone would take the hint.

Quinn spoke up then, asking Finn something about their Trig class, and Kurt gave Quinn a grateful smile as he made a mental note to buy her a Java Chiller next time he had a chance to. Quinn smiled back and then looked at Finn, asking if he had done the homework, and Kurt tuned them out, relieved that he didn’t have the class with them so he didn’t need to be part of their conversation at all.

Kurt looked down at his tray as he picked up one of the two small plastic bowls of bacon pieces by his salad, reaching over to put the bowl on Noah’s tray without a word before he started to dump the other small bowls of add-ins on his salad one at a time.

“Thanks, babe,” Noah said quietly, making Kurt look up at him with a quick smile as he added the cheese to his salad. Noah smiled back, his hazel eyes warm and sparkling as he teased, “You’re contributing to the corruption of a Jew, though.”

Kurt laughed. “If anyone is corrupting someone else here, it’s definitely _not_ me, Noah.”

Noah looked down as he dumped the bacon bits on his cheeseburger and then mashed the top of the bun down to hold the bacon on the sandwich. “Got a point there.” He picked up his burger, grinning at Kurt as he added, “Just don’t tell my mom about anything we do together until after I figure out how to break it to her that I’m dating someone who’s not only not even a little bit Jewish, but also a guy.” He took a big bite of the burger then and started chewing, smirking just a bit.

Kurt snorted, amused as he looked back down to put the croutons and the dressing on his salad and said dryly, “I promise not to discuss your sexuality or me feeding you bacon with _your_ _mother_. I’d sort of like to live to see my seventeenth birthday, and after some of the things you and Quinn have said I have a feeling she might kill me for encouraging you.”

Noah snickered at that and Kurt glanced at him in amusement before he looked back down at his plate to start eating. He was pretending to ignore the others as he dug into his salad, even though he was hyper-aware of the fact Finn was still watching them with that confused expression that always reminded Kurt of a pug because of how Finn’s forehead wrinkled up. He was sure it wouldn’t be long before Finn just _had_ to say something else, and sure enough, as he was reaching for his third bite of his salad, Finn spoke up.

“How can you two _do_ that?” Finn blurted, making everyone look at him again.

Kurt sighed, looking at Finn. “Do what, Finn?”

Finn looked confused again and a little lost, too. “Act all couple-y and be all over each other one minute, and then just go back to the way you’ve been acting for months without even trying.”

Kurt’s lips twitched as he restrained a laugh, wondering if Finn and Rachel ever really talked to each other. “I can’t speak for Noah, but being allowed to make out with him now doesn’t change the fact that he’s been one of my closest friends for several months now.”

“And Kurt’s still Kurt,” Noah added, amused. “He’s not somebody different just ‘cause he’s wearing my letterman jacket, you big doofus. He’s still the bitchiest, most badass diva in town, he just happens to be _my_ bitchy little diva now.”

“Thank you,” Kurt said with a smug smirk at Noah, pleased.

Noah grinned at Kurt. “Don’t mention it, babe.” He paused, and then added, “Especially around your dad. I have a feeling he might kill me for calling you a bitchy diva before he let me explain that it’s a good thing.”

Kurt laughed. “You don’t have to worry about Dad.”

Noah looked surprised and kind of pleased. “I don’t?”

“But you two hardly ever even talk unless you’re picking on each other,” Finn blurted then, making Kurt look at him again instead of answering Noah. Finn was obviously even more lost and confused, which made Kurt wonder if Finn really _was_ that stupid. “How can you date if you’re arguing all the time?”

“I think that it’s like foreplay for them, Finn,” Rachel said suddenly, looking at Finn with a bright smile. “They both like to argue almost as much as they like to win.”

Kurt laughed. “No, I like winning much more, I just usually have to argue _to_ win.”

Noah snickered, and Kurt looked over at him to see Noah was nodding and looking amused. “What he said.” He took another big bite of his sandwich, which Kurt realized suddenly was really rather messy.

Kurt just watched for a moment as mayo oozed down Noah’s wrist before he took a napkin off his tray and offered it to Noah without a word.

Noah snickered slightly, shifting the sandwich to one hand to take the napkin as he swallowed and then teased, “What, do I need a bib now?”

Kurt tried not to laugh, despite his amusement. “It might help, but I’d suggest starting by wrapping the sandwich, or you’ll need a shower by the time you’re done with it.”

Noah smirked. “A shower, huh? Sounds like fun, babe.”

“Alone,” Kurt said dryly.

“After the last half hour, that’ll still be fun,” Noah pointed out, still smirking as he wrapped the napkin around his sandwich. “Shower’s one of my favorite places to get off.”

Kurt had a sudden mental image of Noah in the shower, and he blushed hotly as he felt his earlier erection returning. He had seen Noah soaking wet in only a towel a few times during football season, and one memorable time completely nude, so he had a very good idea just exactly what Noah looked like naked and wet. He let out a soft laugh after a moment and then murmured, “And you called _me_ a tease.”

Noah grinned wickedly at Kurt. “It’s only teasing if I won’t put out, babe. You’re welcome to join me for a shower any time you want, all you have to do is tell me when and where.”

Kurt looked into Noah’s eyes for a moment and then smirked, looking back down at his salad. “I will definitely keep that in mind.”

“I love my life,” Noah said feelingly, and Kurt glanced up just as Noah took another bite of the sandwich to meet Noah’s gaze.

Noah’s hazel eyes were sparkling and amused, and the warmth in them made Kurt suddenly feel an amazing mix of shy, happy, and loved all at once as he murmured, “I know exactly how you feel.”

“It’s kinda scary how freaking _adorable_ you two are,” Mercedes said suddenly, and Kurt looked at her in surprise. She was smirking and looking from Kurt to Noah and back again before her gaze finally settled on Noah as she teased, “I never thought I’d see _you_ being so sweet to anyone, much less a _guy._ I had to practically write you an instruction manual on how to pay attention to a girl when we dated and you _still_ spent half your time checking out other girls and sexting Santana.”

Noah laughed softly, blushing very red. “Shut up, Aretha.”

“Oh no, I want an explanation, white boy,” Mercedes said, smirking. “And I want to know how long you’ve been pining after my boy Kurt here, too. It’s been weeks since I caught you checkin’ him out, but now I got a feeling that wasn’t the first time.”

Quinn laughed. “Let them eat, Mercedes. The bell will ring in a few minutes and they’ve barely gotten started good on their lunch.”

Mercedes looked quickly at Quinn. “But I want to know!”

Quinn smirked at Mercedes. “We’ll know, Mercedes, I promise. There’s _nothing_ Puck knows that I can’t get out of him if I want to.”

Kurt laughed softly, relieved. “Oh good.”

Everyone looked at him in surprise as Noah echoed, “Good?”

Kurt smirked at Noah, amused and feeling a bit smug as he stabbed another bite of his salad. “Better you than me, sweetheart.”

Noah looked surprised for a moment and then he just laughed.

 

~*~

 

Puck had just passed the open door to Tanaka’s office on his way into the field house later that afternoon when three of his least favorite people suddenly blocked his way.

Karofsky was right in front with George and Wayne behind him, and all three of them were looking smug as Karofsky said, “You’re not welcome here anymore, fag. Go use the visitors locker room.”

Puck snorted. “Don’t make me kick your ass in front of your buddies again, Dave. You know how I hate making you cry like a little girl.”

Karofsky bristled and took a step closer, and Puck was bracing for a punch when suddenly he could smell enough Brut aftershave to choke a hog and then a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He didn’t bother to look and see who was behind him, smirking suddenly because he knew it was Tanaka, who wouldn’t let Karofsky and his goons get away with picking a fight right in front of him. Puck _would_ get his ass kicked for being with Kurt eventually, sure, even if Karofsky had to bribe the whole hockey team to help him, but it wasn’t gonna happen yet.

“Puckerman, get in the locker room,” Tanaka growled, and when Puck glanced at him in surprise he could see that Tanaka was seriously pissed, which was unusual. Tanaka didn’t let them fight in the field house or on the field, sure, but he usually didn’t get _mad_ about it. “Me and these three _meatheads_ need to have a little talk about team spirit.”

“Sure, Coach,” Puck agreed easily, smirking at Karofsky, George, and Wayne as he slipped past them to get into the locker room. He wanted to say something smart-assed to them so bad he could almost taste it, but he didn’t. Having Tanaka on his side was a good thing, and it wouldn’t last if Tanaka thought he was pissing people off on purpose. He was still pretty surprised that Tanaka was on his side at all, but he didn’t bother to think about it too hard. Tanaka did all kinds of crazy things these days, and he had stopped trying to figure the guy out a long time ago.

Puck walked through the weight room into the locker room, barely bothering to glance around as he headed for his locker, which was still next to Finn’s even though they really didn’t talk anymore unless they were with the other gleeks. Finn kind of hated him now, which Puck knew he deserved, so having a locker next to Finn’s wasn’t nearly as much fun as it had been at the beginning of the year, but Puck refused to give up hope that someday Finn would forgive him. He missed spending his free time hanging out with Finn, who had been like a brother to him as long as he could remember, and he was sure Finn had to miss it too.

Finn hadn’t yet forgiven Puck for fucking up royally and knocking up Finn’s girlfriend, though, so Puck was kind of grateful that Finn was never in the locker room until it was almost time for the bell to ring. Changing next to Finn made Puck feel like he should say something to him and he seldom found the right words, so he had gotten into the habit of changing as quickly as possible to avoid the situation. Rachel always got Finn to walk her to English class before he could run out to the field house, and she loved to go slow as hell so Finn had to stay with her longer, which usually gave Puck plenty of time to change.

Most of the other guys weren’t there yet either, but Puck knew they’d be showing up pretty quick. Tanaka didn’t ever mark anyone tardy so most of them didn’t hurry, even though anyone not dressed out five minutes after the bell would catch hell if Tanaka was in a bad mood, which was pretty much every day. Puck thought Tanaka was bipolar because of the way the guy could go from cheerful to murderous to almost in tears faster than Puck could shuck his jeans, but lately murderous had been winning more and more often.

Puck had just jerked his t-shirt over his head and was reaching for one of the sleeveless t-shirts he worked out in when Mike suddenly spoke up, asking quietly, “Did you make sure Kurt got to class okay?”

Puck looked over at Mike quickly in surprise to see Mike was standing a couple of lockers away in his usual skimpy briefs. Mike wasn’t anyone Puck was ever going to fool around with, but he could appreciate the view without actually wanting to do the guy. Mike was all long legs and lean muscle, and he was gorgeous in that way that Puck associated with underwear models and Olympic swimmers. “Yeah, I did. Why?”

Mike glanced around the locker room and then moved over closer to Puck so they could talk without being overheard by the few other guys who were there. “Karofsky’s been after him all day,” he murmured, looking kind of concerned. “I was right behind him on the way to the field house, but he and a couple of his buddies left again as soon as I walked in.”

There weren’t a lot of other guys in the locker room yet, but Puck kept his voice down anyway as he murmured, “Don’t sweat it, man.” He smirked and pulled the sleeveless shirt on as he added, “Coach is reaming them for trying to keep me out of the field house.”

“Cool,” Mike said, obviously relieved as he moved back to his locker to get dressed.

“Yep,” Puck agreed, kicking out of his high-tops as he reached for his belt.

Finn hurried up between them then, barely reaching his locker before he whispered, “Why is Coach giving Karofsky and a couple of his goons licks?”

Puck looked at Finn quickly in surprise, unfastening his jeans on autopilot as he asked, “Seriously?”

Finn nodded, wide-eyed but definitely looking kind of happy about it. “I heard him tell Karofsky to shut his face and grab his ankles on my way by the office.”

Mike snickered as he stepped into his shorts. “Go Coach.”

Puck smirked, shoving his jeans down to step out of them. “Amen.”

Puck gone commando that day, but he usually did so it wasn’t anything new for him to shuck his jeans and end up half naked in front of the other guys. He was more conscious of it because he knew the other guys were likely seeing him differently, but he had never been ashamed of his body and he’d be damned if he was going to act any different just because they knew he had a boyfriend now. He was bisexual, sure, but he had known that about himself for months and nobody had a problem with his tendency to wander around the locker room naked before they knew, so they’d better not have a problem with it afterwards if they knew what was good for them. It wasn’t like Puck was the only guy in the locker room that was showing some skin, after all, and he wasn’t checking the other guys out so they had no excuse to freak out on him.

Finn snickered too and whispered, “Well, yeah, but what’d they do?”

“Tried to keep Puck out of the field house,” Mike murmured, moving over closer to Finn and Puck as he untangled his tank top so he could put it on.

Puck snorted and wadded his jeans up to stuff them in his locker as he added, “Yeah, evidently I’m too much of a fag to change with you guys anymore. They wanted me to use the other locker room.”

“That’s what Kurt used to do, when he dressed out for practice,” Finn said, tugging his polo off over his head. “Before he quit the team to be a Cheerio, anyway.”

Puck turned towards Finn with a sudden frown, not really even caring that he was naked from the waist down except for a pair of socks even though Finn blushed beet red when he glanced at Puck and noticed. “I thought he changed after we were all on the field. I _know_ I saw him in here a few times after practice, all wrapped up in that big white robe of his putting goop on his face.”

“He usually dressed out after everyone left the locker rooms,” Finn said as he started unbuttoning his jeans, careful not to look towards Puck again and still very red-faced. “But he didn’t use our locker room. Not _before_ practice anyway. The other guys would have killed him if they saw him in here. He’d come in here after practice sometimes to shower, but only if most everyone was gone already. Our showers get cleaned all the time, but Kurt said the visitors’ shower is usually nasty.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t know that they told him not to come in here,” Mike said quietly, looking at Puck in surprise. “I kinda thought you were in on it.”

Puck scowled. “Hell no, I wasn’t in on it. He was _on the team_ , Mikey. Even when I was being an asshole to him, I didn’t _ever_ bother him on the field.”

“You gave him shit _every day_ ,” Finn said with a laugh, looking at Puck again finally in surprise. “You were _always_ calling him princess during practice and asking when he was going to bring his tutu to dance in.”

Puck rolled his eyes and turned back towards his locker, reaching for his workout shorts. “That was just trash talk, Finnessa. Kurt wasn’t worried about it, I know.”

“Not like he is about Karofsky,” Mike agreed softly. “I always kinda got the feeling he thought Puck’s crap was kind of funny, but Karofsky scares him shitless by just looking at him.”

“Yeah, and I haven’t beat him down for it yet,” Puck agreed, stepping into his shorts. “I keep hoping he’ll do something stupid so I have an excuse, but so far he’s been all talk, the coward.”

“He’s been doing a lot of talking, though,” Mike said quietly, sitting down with the Nikes he always wore to work out in. “In Trig I heard him talking to Azimio about kicking some fairy ass this afternoon.”

Puck sat down on the bench to pull his high tops back on, glancing at Mike. “He probably meant me. I didn’t see him at all walking Kurt to English, but he was waiting for me to get out here.”

Finn turned his back to the lockers so he could look at Puck and Mike as he started to stick his arms into his sleeveless t-shirt. “So he got licks because of you.”

Puck looked up at Finn, smirking as he jerked the laces tight on his shoe so he could tie them. “Yep.”

“You’re so dead, man,” Mike said with a soft laugh, standing up. “They’re gonna cream you.”

“Probably,” Puck agreed, pulling his other shoe on. “I’m not gonna just lay down and take it, though. They’re gonna make sure they got enough buddies with ‘em to beat me down, but they’re still gonna know they were in a fight by the time I drop.”

Mike started putting his street clothes into his locker as he murmured, “Well, I got your back, for whatever that’s worth. Matt’ll lend a hand too, if he sees we need it.”

Puck tied his shoe quickly and then stood, smiling at Mike and glad to know he wasn’t on his own. Dean had promised to back him up, but Dean wasn’t in athletics, which meant that there was a good chance Puck would get jumped long before he got to the auditorium after school. “Real nice to know, Mikey. Thanks.”

Mike grinned at him. “Any time, bro.” He turned away to head out into the weight room without another word.

Puck reached to close his locker, glancing at Finn and then frowning when he saw Finn was looking very uncomfortable and kind of upset as Finn stared at him. “Dude, what is your problem now?”

Finn averted his gaze to look into his locker, just standing there for a minute or so before he whispered suddenly, “I’ll help too, if you want. I mean, Kurt _is_ kind of my little brother, or will be, and we used to be bros.”

“I’m sure not gonna tell you to go to hell, Finn,” Puck murmured, his eyebrows going up in surprise. It didn’t surprise him that Finn already thought of Kurt as his little brother, but he was surprised that Finn was offering to help him in a fight. Even when they were best friends Finn hadn’t often done that. “You’re the one still carrying a grudge, not me. I was pissed when it looked like you might end up raising my kid, yeah, but once that wasn’t in the picture I was cool with you.”

Finn looked at Puck. “You went home with my girl and got her _pregnant_ , Puck. Of _course_ I got mad.”

“ _You_ told me to drive her home that day,” Puck pointed out. “You knew I’d be there a while to help her with Trig because she didn’t understand it, and you were all for it.”

“I wasn’t all for you screwing around with her,” Finn said just a bit sharply, trying hard to keep his voice down. “I _loved_ her.”

“I didn’t plan on it, Finn,” Puck pointed out, trying very hard not to get angry. Finn had refused to actually talk about it since it happened, and he didn’t want to waste what might be his only chance to explain himself. “I didn’t know her big sis would give us some booze because she felt sorry for us sitting around slogging through homework, or that she’d leave us alone as soon as we started drinking. By the time the booze was gone, we were both so drunk we barely even remember we were _together_ that night, much less what we did.”

Finn stared at Puck for a long moment and then asked softly, “You mean you didn’t buy her those wine coolers?”

“No, I didn’t,” Puck said firmly. “I encouraged her to drink ‘em because she hadn’t ever had any alcohol before and I figured it would be funny to see her drunk, but I _didn’t_ go over there with booze to try and get lucky with your girl, Finn. I had a dozen cougars who’d _pay me_ to get laid any time I wanted to, not to mention the fact Santana and Brit _never_ told me no if I called them. There was no fucking reason for me to hurt _both_ of my best friends, but by the time I finished off that half bottle of Jack her sister gave me, nothing really mattered anymore but what felt good. About all I remember is that we ended up back in my truck together somehow, I think maybe she was trying to stop me from driving home, but I’m not sure. She was in my lap squirming around, and then we were kissing and I was too knee-walking drunk to ignore a chance to get laid with one of the hottest Cheerios in school.”

“Just… Damn, Puck,” Finn murmured softly, looking kind of pained and sad. “I thought I could _trust_ you.”

“I thought you could trust me, too. That _she_ could trust me,” Puck said quietly, trying not to let how disgusted he still was with himself show. “I guess all it took to prove us both wrong was half a bottle of Jack and four fruity wine coolers.” He turned away and headed for the weight room without giving Finn a chance to say anything else to him. He was pretty sure he didn’t want to hear whatever it was Finn had to say.

Puck pretended not to see the glares he was getting from Karofsky and George as he passed where they were changing into their workout clothes, but he couldn’t keep from smirking a bit at how red-eyed they both were.

Tanaka had obviously lit them up good, and he was glad even if it did mean they’d be that much more likely to beat the shit out of him the next time they could get together a few buddies and corner him. They wouldn’t bother him without plenty of backup, he knew. He could handle Karofsky and any one of his buddies, even if it was Azimio, and they all knew it as well as he did. It was when Karofsky got together with two or more of his buddies that Puck was in trouble, so he expected it to happen soon. It took at least two of them to hold him down so Karofsky could beat him up.

Puck hadn’t thought he’d make it through the day without getting creamed, really, but he was starting to feel pretty good about his chances of getting home in one piece. With Mike and Matt at his back, Puck knew he didn’t have anything to worry about even if Finn wussed out on them.  Mike was a tall, skinny drink of water, but he was all muscle and speed and he had taken jujitsu lessons for _years_ growing up, so he could handle himself in a fight. Matt wasn’t really used to fighting, but he was strong and tough and he could take a punch really well when he had to, so Puck figured he would make it to Glee practice in one piece, at least that afternoon.

He’d worry about tomorrow when it got there.

 

~*~

 

Quinn was almost through with the first half of the homework assignment when the bell rang, so Kurt waited for her to finish while he took his time putting his things away. He didn’t like leaving her on her own, especially not when they were headed to the same place after class. She had been having backaches more and more often lately, and sometimes she got a little dizzy, too, and he didn’t want her falling and hurting herself because there was no one to make her slow down and take care of herself. He couldn’t watch out for her all the time because their schedules were different, but he could help her now, so he did.

The homework was really easy, just writing an outline and then a rough draft of a paper on the subject of their choosing, and it hadn’t taken Kurt more than half of the ten minutes in class that they were given to start on it to get his outline done. They were supposed to choose a subject important to them, so Kurt’s paper was going to be about discrimination based on someone’s sexuality. It was an easy subject for him to bullshit at length on, and he knew he could work it for a high grade.

Quinn finally finished her outline and started to gather her books, and Kurt stood to walk to her desk with his own textbook tucked into one arm. “I’ll get those.”

Quinn looked up at him in surprise. “I can carry my own books, Kurt.”

“I know you can,” Kurt agreed, smiling as he took her books and tucked them into his right arm with his own English textbook. “Don’t forget Noah’s jacket.” He had passed the jacket to Quinn at the beginning of class when he saw her shivering because her previous class had been so cold, and when she finally got warm he had told her to keep it because he was sure she’d need it again.

Quinn just looked at him for a moment, smiling, and then she pulled Noah’s letterman jacket off the back of her chair and put it on. “I can’t forget that, I’d freeze in the auditorium.”

“You most certainly would,” Kurt agreed, amused as he moved around next to her to be able to offer her his free hand to help haul her to her feet. “It’s always cold in there, and you won’t be doing enough today to stay warm.”

Quinn carefully scooted back her chair to get up, taking Kurt’s hand as she murmured, “Thank you, Kurt.”

“It’s my pleasure, sweetie,” Kurt said softly, helping her to her feet and then leaning to kiss her cheek. “Now come on, we’ve got practice.”

Quinn smiled and hooked her arm through his, leaning against his side a bit as they walked towards the door. “Mostly you’ve got practice. Puck will make me sit it out as soon as he sees that I’ve mostly got the steps.”

Kurt gave her an amused look as he teased, “And he’ll have to try _so_ hard to convince you.”

Quinn giggled, looking just a bit sheepish. “Not today.”

Kurt just laughed and walked with her towards the door, but they had barely made it out into the hall before he stopped in surprise.

Noah was standing across from the door looking relaxed as he talked to Mike and Matt quietly about something. He looked over right after Kurt and Quinn walked out of the classroom, his smile shifting into a happy grin as his hazel eyes went warm and started to sparkle. He shoved off of the lockers and crossed the hall to them, ignoring the people passing by them as he said cheerfully, “It’s about time.” He kissed Kurt lightly when he reached them, taking away the books Kurt was carrying as he pulled away.

“I’m perfectly capable of carrying those,” Kurt pointed out, beaming even though he was aware he was saying almost the same thing Quinn had said to him just a few minutes earlier. He loved how casually affectionate Noah was being with him too much to really argue about Noah wanting to carry his books, and he hoped that the novelty of it wouldn’t wear off for Noah any time soon. He wanted it to keep happening, wanted Noah to really feel strongly enough about him that he couldn’t help but show it every time they were together, and after all Noah had said and done that day he thought it just might happen.

“I know it, babe,” Noah agreed with a grin, and then he looked from Kurt to Quinn and back. “You two ready to head for practice?”

“Yes, we are,” Quinn agreed with a soft little laugh as she started walking again, making Kurt have to either walk too or let go of her.

“Cool,” Noah said with a grin, moving to fall in next to Kurt and reaching out to take Kurt’s free hand as the three of them started towards the auditorium. Mike and Matt fell in behind them as Noah added, “I already saw Tina, Artie, and Mercedes heading that way.”

“We’ll probably be the last ones there,” Kurt said, smiling happily as he laced his fingers with Noah’s. “Quinn was doing her homework.”

“I was nearly done with the first half of the assignment,” Quinn said with a soft laugh. “I don’t want to have to do it before school tomorrow.”

Kurt looked over at Quinn, amused. “We won’t be in practice _all_ evening.”

“Long enough,” Quinn countered with a smile, “and afterwards I’ll be too tired to do anything but eat dinner and go to bed.”

Noah snickered. “She’s got a point there, babe. She dozed off at the kitchen table the other night.”

“She might even fall asleep before we’re done,” Mike added, making Kurt glance back at him. Mike was grinning as he pointed out, “Last week she slept through two practices.”

“I was tired!” Quinn said with a laugh.

“Must have been,” Noah agreed with a snicker. “The chairs in the auditorium are hell on your back.”

“I remember, I promise,” Quinn said, smiling crookedly.

Kurt chuckled softly, feeling fond as he smiled at Quinn and teased, “You could always do like Noah does and go sleep in the back of his truck. He’s got a blanket and even a pillow hidden in his truck.”

Noah laughed, surprised. “And how did you know that?”

Kurt looked at Noah, smirking a bit. “Because you sleep like the proverbial rock, Noah. I had to walk out to my truck for something last week and you were dead to the world.”

Kurt wasn’t about to admit how long he had stood there watching Noah sleep. He had been late for sixth period and had to make up a story about losing his homework under the back seat of his Navigator, but it had been worth it. Noah relaxed and let down his tough guy act while he slept, and Kurt had been kind of mesmerized by how sweet he had looked. Kurt had wanted very much to just stay there and watch Noah sleep all afternoon, but he had chickened out when Noah stirred as if he might wake soon, leaving quickly before Noah could see him.

Noah looked amused. “When was that?”

“The day Mike let me have his parking spot,” Kurt replied, amused. “Last Tuesday.”

“ _Let_ _you_ have it?” Noah repeated, looking over his shoulder at Mike in surprise.

Kurt glanced back at Mike, amused by the way Mike was grinning as he said cheerfully, “He texted me to ask before school.”

Kurt laughed and looked ahead of them as they approached the auditorium, where Mercedes was waiting for them by the open door, looking amused. “It was only polite to ask first, Mike.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that when I asked if you were okay with him parking there?” Noah asked with a soft laugh, looking over his shoulder at Mike again.

“’Cause you didn’t ask that, you just wanted to know if I minded him parking in my spot,” Mike pointed out, sounding amused. “And I don’t, that’s why I told him he could steal it.”

Matt snickered. “It’s not stealing if you gave it to him, bro.”

“Eh, technicalities,” Mike said breezily, making Kurt laugh quietly while Quinn giggled next to him.

“What’s so funny?” Mercedes asked as they reached her, curious and grinning.

“Nothing, really,” Kurt said, amused. “Noah is surprised I asked Mike for his parking spot instead of just trying to steal it.”

Mercedes grinned. “I wouldn’t steal it either if I was you. He knows that jujitsu crap and could break you in two.”

Mike laughed. “I wouldn’t do that!”

Rachel appeared suddenly in the auditorium doorway, looking annoyed. “Stop lollygagging and get in here, all of you!”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Of course, your highness.”

Noah snickered at that and added, “Keep your skirt on, Berry. We’re coming.”

“Not right now you’re not, Puckerman,” Rachel said sharply, moving to one side of the doorway as she lifted her arm to point into the auditorium. “Get in there, you can try to get into Kurt’s painted-on jeans _later_. We’ve got work to do!”

Quinn let go of Kurt’s arm to walk through the door ahead of him and Noah, looking amused as she looked at Rachel on the way by her and said almost cheerfully, “That sweater makes you look like a _child_ , Man Hands. Just thought you should know.”

Rachel’s eyes went wide and then she glanced down at her vividly red sleeveless sweater with a big longhaired cat on the front, complete with fake silky-looking white fur, and then she looked quickly back at Quinn as she said hotly, “It does not! It’s a _lovely_ sweater!”

“If you’re _five_ ,” Mercedes agreed, breezing past Rachel to hook her arm through Quinn’s as they made their way down the stairs towards the stage.

Kurt tried very hard not to laugh as he and Noah walked past Rachel after Mercedes and Quinn, but he knew Rachel could see how amused he was when she made an angry noise and then stormed off, passing them all in a huff. Mike and Matt followed Kurt, Noah, and the girls towards the front row of seats, where everyone stopped long enough to drop their bags and their books before they continued on to the stage.

Kurt had just reached the stage stairs with Noah when he heard Brittany speak up, asking brightly, “Can I pet your kitty?” Kurt looked towards the sound of Brittany’s voice and saw she was standing between Dean and Santana, beaming at Rachel and looking hopeful. “It’s just so cute and furry!”

Noah started snickering, trying hard to stifle it, and Kurt had to bite his lip to keep back a laugh of his own. Brittany didn’t intend to be suggestive, he was sure, but he also had no doubt at all that he and Noah weren’t the only ones who had taken what she said that way. Dean was grinning widely and very careful not to look at Rachel, and Santana was next to Brittany smirking and giving Brittany a fond look. Mercedes and Quinn both looked like they were trying not to laugh, Tina had started giggling in Artie’s lap while Artie smirked, and Mike and Matt were both grinning widely as they watched and waited to see what Rachel would do. Even Finn was grinning until he obviously realized Rachel would kill him if she saw it, making him try very hard to frown.

Rachel shot Kurt and Noah a glare before she looked back at Brittany, just staring at her a moment before she suddenly jerked her sweater up and over her head to offer it to Brittany. “Here. Enjoy.”

Brittany beamed at Rachel, accepting the sweater and starting to turn it right side out again. “I can borrow it? Really?”

“Yes,” Rachel said sharply as she tugged at her button-front white shirt to straighten it a bit. “Borrow it, keep it, _date it_ if you want, I don’t really care even a little bit.”

“Settle down, Berry,” Dean said then, making Kurt smile at the amusement Dean couldn’t quite keep out of his tone of voice. “There’s no call to get snippy with her. She didn’t do anything to you but say she liked your sweater.”

Rachel stared at Dean a moment and then looked back at Brittany. “I’m sorry, he’s right.”

Brittany already had the sweater wadded up so the furry cat was on the outside, and started to cradle it in her arm and pet it like it was a real cat as she gave Rachel a happy but rather vacant smile. “It’s okay. People get mad at me for things someone else did all the time.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Rachel pointed out, and then turned to move towards the middle of the stage as she looked around. “Where is Mr Schuester?”

“He said he’d be a few minutes late,” Artie said, looking amused as he cuddled with Tina, who was sitting sideways across his lap with her arms around his neck. “He passed me in the hall and said to let everyone know Figgins wanted to see him, but he’ll be here as soon as he can.”

“We’ll just have to start without him, then,” Rachel said firmly, looking around. “Who’s dancing with who today?” She looked over at Kurt and Noah, adding, “And don’t even say it, Puckerman. We don’t have any extra guys with Artie playing guitar, so you and Kurt will both _have_ to dance with girls on Friday.”

Kurt rolled his eyes as Noah asked, “Does the word _duh_ mean anything to you, Berry?”

Rachel put her hands on her hips, glaring at Noah. “Would you _please_ behave yourself, Noah? We’ve got _work_ to do.”

“I never behave, Berry,” Noah replied immediately, smirking. “You should know that by now.”

Kurt’s lips twitched into a smile as he looked at Noah and teased, “You’d better mind your manners today, or _I_ might have to do something about it.”

Noah grinned wickedly and moved closer to Kurt, his arms sliding around Kurt’s waist as he leaned in close and said cheerfully, “Babe, I haven’t _got_ any manners.” He kissed Kurt then, and Kurt couldn’t restrain a low happy noise as he lifted his arms to put them around Noah’s neck, returning the kiss with interest. Noah growled softly and ran his hands down over Kurt’s ass, then stroked down his thighs before he suddenly lifted Kurt off of his feet.

Kurt squeaked slightly in surprise, but he didn’t hesitate to wrap his legs around Noah’s waist, holding on tighter to Noah’s shoulders as he heard their friends start hooting and cheering them on. He could feel his skin flushing hotly all the way down to his chest, but he didn’t even try to pull away from Noah’s delicious, sinful mouth. He tasted like root beer and cinnamon red hots and he was kissing Kurt like he wanted to eat him alive, and Kurt couldn’t make himself care even a little bit that Rachel was saying something about them being very inappropriate as he kissed back hungrily.

Kurt finally had to pull away to breathe after a few minutes, breaking the kiss with a soft gasp as he opened his eyes to look at Noah, smiling suddenly at the warm, loving look in Noah’s hazel eyes. “Wow.”

Noah smirked, wicked and a little impish as he kissed Kurt again lightly and then leaned to whisper into Kurt’s ear, “I’m not even getting started good, baby.”

Noah nuzzled at the sensitive skin below Kurt’s ear, making Kurt tip his head to the side as he whispered breathlessly, “I can’t wait to see what happens when you do.”

Noah kissed below Kurt’s ear and then his lips were brushing Kurt’s earlobe as he whispered almost silently, “Just tell me when and where, and I’m all yours. You can see anything you want, babe.”

“Uh, guys?” Schuester said suddenly very close to them, sounding embarrassed. “I’m all for you two being … uhm, _happy_ , but not during practice? Please? We’ve got work to do.”

Kurt hid his face against Noah’s shoulder without even looking at Schuester, feeling like he might burst into flames at any moment as he muttered, “Put me down, Noah.”

Noah snickered and kissed the side of Kurt’s neck again before he let Kurt’s feet fall back to the floor, and when Kurt pulled away he saw that Noah was smirking at Schuester. “We’re ready when you are, Mr Schue,” Noah said cheerfully, not blushing in the least even though a quick glance down told Kurt that Noah’s arousal was unmistakable even though Noah was going commando.

Kurt suddenly envied Noah’s complete lack of shame as he pulled away from Noah completely, sure that his own erection was even more obvious than Noah’s as he added, “We’ll behave ourselves.”

“Good, thank you,” Schuester said quickly, and when Kurt made himself look at Schuester he saw the man looked embarrassed but very relieved as he turned away to look at everyone else. “Alright, places! Who’s dancing with who?”

“I got Quinn,” Noah said before anyone else could speak up, moving towards where Quinn and Mercedes were standing.

Kurt laughed, moving after Noah as he said quickly, “I was about to say that.”

Noah smirked at Kurt, slinging an arm around Quinn as he teased, “You snooze you lose, baby.”

Kurt tried not to laugh, and he was about to tell Noah that smug really shouldn’t be such a good look for him when Rachel spoke up.

“And I’ll dance with Finn, of course,” Rachel said quickly. “Artie will by playing guitar, so Kurt, you should dance with Tina because you’re the best teacher besides Noah and she doesn’t know the steps. No one can keep up with Mike except for Brittany, so that just leaves Mercedes, Matt, Santana and Dean.” She looked over at Dean for a moment and then said, “I think you and Santana should do well if you really try to do like she says.” She looked over at Matt and then at Mercedes. “So Mercedes, why don’t you dance with Matt?”

Kurt looked at Mercedes, hiding a smirk as Mercedes tried hard to look like she didn’t care, looking over at Matt. “Works for me, as long as Matt doesn’t mind.”

Matt grinned, looking really pleased even though he said simply, “It’s cool.”

Kurt had to look away, trying very hard not to laugh. Matt seldom said more than a dozen words in a day to anyone but his closest friends, but when he did speak he was usually worth listening to. He was the quietest person Kurt had ever known, quieter even than Mike which was kind of scary, but when Matt did speak it was often in such a way that it left Kurt wanting to giggle like a little girl. Matt was a master of the art of sarcasm and the deliberate understatement, and could put more meaning into just a few words than anyone else Kurt knew.

“Wonderful!” Schuester said with a laugh. “Let’s get started, then!” He moved to the piano and the small portable stereo sitting on it. “Puck, you and Quinn need to be up at the front to start with, so everyone can learn the steps. You too, Mike and Brittany. Everyone else can just watch the first time through, then we’ll really start working on it, okay?”

“Cool,” Noah agreed, moving to kiss Kurt’s cheek lightly and then walking towards the front of the stage with Quinn.

Kurt walked over to join Tina, who was still sitting in Artie’s lap looking happy and relaxed. Kurt smiled at Artie and then gave Tina an encouraging smile as he murmured, “It’s not that hard. Just watch them this time, and then we’ll try it together.”

Tina reached for Kurt’s hand, pleased and nodding. “Okay.”

Kurt gave her hand a squeeze and then let go of it, smiling as he moved to stand next to Artie’s chair and lean against it while Schuester started the music. Noah, Quinn, Mike, and Brittany started to dance a moment later, and he smiled as he watched them, wondering when Noah had taken the time to teach Quinn the steps. Kurt had at least seen most of the steps because he had stood outside the music room in the hall and watched through the door while Noah showed his idea to Schuester, but Quinn hadn’t been there at the time so he was surprised by how well she knew the choreography.

The choreography for ‘ _It Ain’t No Big Thing’_ was mostly pretty fast, and by the time it was over Kurt was glad that Quinn was so quick to pick up on new dances. She was a bit hesitant on some of the more difficult sequences, but it was obvious she had done them before as she and Noah easily ran through the moves for the song with Mike and Brittany watching them intently and following along a half-step behind them. Quinn was winded and kind of pale by the time the song ended, but she was beaming and looked proud of herself as she leaned against Noah’s side with one hand on her lower back as if it was bothering her.

Noah didn’t wait for Schuester to suggest it before he started to steer Quinn towards the piano bench as he said confidently, “We’ve got this now, momma. You have a seat until we need you.”

Quinn kept one hand braced at the small of her back as she let Noah guide her over to the bench, looking tired as Schuester said quickly, “Yes, of course, Quinn. You obviously know the steps pretty well, so you just sit here and watch with me.”

“Alright,” Quinn agreed quietly, settling carefully on the bench with a slight wince and a pained expression. She rubbed at her back, looking rueful as she added, “But only because Beth agrees with you.”

“Of course she does, she knows we’re right,” Noah said with a smirk, leaning down to kiss Quinn’s cheek lightly before he started back towards the front of the group, looking at Kurt. “C’mon, babe. I know you’ve got it by now, and you’re better at teaching choreography than I’ll ever be.”

Kurt laughed. “Perhaps, but I’m teaching Tina.”

“I need to watch again at least once more,” Tina said quickly, making Kurt look at her in surprise to see she was giving Kurt a sheepish little smile. “Please?”

“You’re supposed to be on my side,” Kurt accused.

“I’m sorry,” Tina said with a tiny little hint of a giggle as Artie grinned, looking like he was about to laugh.

Kurt sniffed, amused. “Liar. You just want to watch me dance with him.”

Tina tried hard to look innocent, but she wasn’t fooling Kurt even a little bit as she said quickly, “No, I really don’t know the steps yet, I promise.”

“Babe, quit stalling and get your perfect ass over here,” Noah said then, amused. Kurt looked back towards Noah to see he was grinning and looking pleased. “Unless of course you want me to have to dance all up on Santana. She’s the only other person who could probably keep up right now besides you, Mike, and Brit, and I kinda think Dean’s gonna need her help.”

Kurt just looked at Noah a moment and then laughed, trying to ignore the way he could feel his face heating up as he started towards Noah. “Alright, but only until Mercedes and Rachel get the steps. Then you’re on your own so I can work with Tina.”

Noah smirked, holding his hands out to Kurt as he glanced over his shoulder at Mercedes and Rachel. “I’ll make it worth your while for you two to mess up a lot.”

Mercedes snickered as Rachel snorted and said, “Dream on, Puckerman.”

Kurt swatted Noah’s arm instead of taking his hands, amused as he said. “Eyes on me, Noah, or I’ll go dance with Mike and you can dance with Brit.”

Noah laughed and looked back at Kurt, his hazel eyes sparkling bright. “You’re gonna have a lot more than my eyes on you in a minute, babe.”

Kurt’s lips twitched as he tried not to laugh. “I’m well aware of that, thank you.” He looked over at Schuester expectantly. “If you would please start the music again, Mr Schue?”

Schuester was looking kind of surprised but grinning as he reached for the portable stereo. “Sure! Whenever you’re ready.”

Kurt moved into position with Noah, amused but confident as he said, “Alright then, from the top, everyone.” He looked around to be sure that everyone was ready and then looked at Noah again, amused as he said, “Ready, Mr Schue.”

Schuester turned the music on again and Kurt started into the girl’s side of the choreography with Noah, moving into the slow, almost stalking choreography at the beginning where they circled around each other during the introduction of the song. Noah was smirking a bit and moving easily through his side of the steps, his gaze intent on Kurt’s, and it didn’t take Kurt long to realize he loved the simple pleasure of dancing with Noah and having his undivided attention. Kurt had always loved to dance, of course, but dancing with the girls just wasn’t anything like it felt to be dancing with Noah, and Kurt suddenly found himself wishing they had another guy in the group so he would have the excuse to do it again more often.

The music sped up after a few moments and Kurt began grinning as he and Noah moved through the more difficult steps until suddenly it was time for the first hold. Kurt didn’t hesitate to pull Noah in close to him like Quinn was supposed to do for the chorus of the song, their bodies swaying against each other suggestively as Noah smirked and murmured, “You’re so fucking hot, babe.”

Kurt blushed, letting out a soft laugh as he let Noah spin him out away from Noah’s body, and then moving back into the circling choreography more quickly. They circled twice and then Noah reached for Kurt and pulled Kurt’s body flush against his again, bodies rubbing and grinding together as Noah leaned in close and whispered into his ear, “I just wanna fall to my knees and suck you off right here.”

Kurt couldn’t keep back a soft little whimper at that idea, his already snug jeans getting even more uncomfortably tight as Noah smirked and spun him away again for the next part of the song where they had to separate. Kurt moved through the choreography for the instrumental bridge of the song quickly despite the discomfort of his erection, and then they were moving into a complicated hold that called for them spinning around each other as Kurt said just a bit breathlessly, “We are _so_ not dancing together in public _any more_.”

“Aw, babe, but I _like_ it,” Noah said quickly, grinning and wicked as they finished the spin and he pulled Kurt in flush against him again, bodies swaying together suggestively.

Kurt let out a soft little laugh, blushing hotly because he could easily feel how hard Noah was through the layers of their clothes, and he knew Noah could feel he was just as hard. “I can tell!”

Noah smirked, looking a little bit evil as he let his hands roam down over Kurt’s ass and tugged him even closer, teasing, “You like it too, don’t even try to lie.”

They spun apart again then and Kurt moved through the final choreography with Noah, waiting for the song to end before he gave Noah’s chest a rather hard swat, unable to keep from smiling despite his embarrassment as he turned back towards Tina and said firmly, “Now go help someone that needs it, Noah.”

Noah moved quickly to grab Kurt by his waist, pulling Kurt back against his body as he purred into Kurt’s ear, “Just remember you’re the only one I _want_ dancing all up on me, baby.” He kissed the side of Kurt’s neck and then let him go, turning away to look at the others as he said in a more normal tone of voice, “Who needs the most help?”

“Dean!” Santana said quickly, giving Dean a disgusted look. “He’s dancing on my feet instead of the floor.”

Kurt moved over to where Tina was supposed to be for the choreography, still blushing very red as she joined him, but completely unable to keep himself from turning to watch the way Noah moved as he started towards Santana.

Rachel reached out to grab Noah’s arm as he tried to pass her, ordering firmly, “Noah, you and Santana work on Finn, _I’ll_ dance with Dean. I’m used to getting my feet stepped on, and you’re good at turning whatever Finn is doing into actual dancing.”

“Hey!” Finn said quickly, looking somewhere between annoyed and amused. “I got most of it down already.”

Rachel looked up at Finn, patting his chest with her hand as she said firmly, “We both know you need more work on the choreography, Finn, especially the timing for the instrumental break. Let Noah help you. He can be a jerk sometimes, yes, but he’s got an _impeccable_ sense of rhythm.” Finn grumbled something that Kurt couldn’t hear, making Noah snort in amusement as Rachel gave Finn a bright grin. “Thank you.” She grabbed the collar of Finn’s shirt, pulling him down as she stretched upwards to kiss him lightly, then she let go of him and moved away as she looked towards Schuester and said cheerfully, “Let’s go again, Mr Schuester.”

“Places, everyone,” Schuester said, amused.

Santana moved to help Noah with Finn as Dean moved to meet Rachel, looking kind of sheepish as he muttered something Kurt couldn’t hear that made Rachel laugh and say cheerfully, “Just try, Dean. I’m sure you can do it.”

Dean looked really skeptical, but he didn’t argue as Kurt made himself turn towards Tina, amused. “Shall we?” he asked, offering Tina his hand.

Tina beamed and nodded, taking his hand without a word, and when the music started she was quick to move into the choreography with him, though when they got to the holds she was careful not to rub up against him at all.

Kurt was very grateful.

 

~*~

 

Puck swung Dean around one last time and then they moved into the last hold, bodies pressed tightly together as the music finally ended. “Did good, Dean,” he murmured then, smirking and making no move to step away even though he was a little surprised by how much he liked having Dean pressed so close to him. Dean’s hands were on his ass and he could feel Dean’s hard-on pressing against him, and it was a lot more enjoyable than he had really expected it to be. He had known he was gay for Kurt for a long time, and he did think Mike was kind of hot, but he had never gotten hard because of any guy besides Kurt until he and Dean were dancing up on each other. “You start feeling up Santana’s ass, though, and she’ll knee you right in the balls.”

Dean laughed, blushing as he hurriedly let go of Puck and moved away from him. “Yeah, she probably would.”

“That was much better, guys,” Schue said then, making Puck look towards him.

Schue looked kind of surprised as he turned off the stereo, and Puck hoped they could count on Schue to keep his mouth shut about what had just happened. Dean had made it kind of obvious he was anything but straight, and Puck knew Schue was perceptive enough that the had to have noticed it. He hoped that Schue would keep it to himself out of a kind of solidarity thing, and he thought that it was a fairly safe bet. He didn’t have any proof, but things he had overheard in the last few months had given him a strong suspicion that Schue was batting for both teams himself.

“I think you’re on the right track, Puck,” Schue added as he turned back towards them, his eyebrows still up as he tried to smile at them, looking just a bit uncomfortable. “Why don’t you and Dean work on this on your own, and then he can try with Santana again tomorrow?”

Puck glanced at Dean, who was running a hand through his sweaty hair, his face beet red. “Sure, Mr Schue,” Puck said with a grin, meeting Dean’s gaze for a moment before looking back towards Schue. “He’s just about got it.”

Schue just looked at them for a few moments before he said, “So I noticed.” He paused and then added hesitantly, “Is Kurt going to be okay with this, Puck?”

“Of course,” Puck said, surprised, and then it dawned on him what Schue was hinting at and he frowned. “Hey man, wait a minute. We were just _dancing_!”

“Alright, alright, don’t bite my head off,” Schue said with a quickly raised hand. “I had to ask.”

“I’m not after Puck’s ass, Mr Schue,” Dean said then, and when Puck glanced at him he saw Dean was blushing very red still.

“And it wouldn’t matter if he _was_ ,” Puck added sharply, still frowning as he looked back at Schue. “I’m not going to do _anything_ that would hurt Kurt. I’m not that that damned stupid.”

Schue gave Puck a relieved smile. “I’m glad to hear that, Puck. It’s obvious how much he cares about you, and I don’t want my asking you to help Dean to lead to something that hurts him. He’s had enough of that already with the way Jesse took advantage of him.”

“I’m not Jesse,” Puck said firmly. “And they didn’t do anything but kiss a few times anyway, Schue. Kurt’s too smart to let a guy do anything more than that if he’s ashamed to be with him, no matter how pretty the guy is.”

Schue blinked in surprise, then looked pleased. “I’m glad to hear that.” He smiled, adding, “I’ll see you both in class tomorrow.”

“Sure,” Puck said, turning to head for the edge of the stage without another word.

Puck could hear Dean following right behind him as Dean said, “Night, Mr Schue.”

“Good night,” Schue replied, moving to the piano to start gathering up his things.

Puck grabbed his backpack and the books Quinn had left behind and then he headed quickly for the parking lot, leaving through the side door to the auditorium so they wouldn’t have to walk through half of the school to get there. He didn’t like that Schue had hinted he would mess around on Kurt, even though he knew he deserved it. He had never really tried to be faithful to anyone before, not even Quinn for the month or so they had tried really dating, so it shouldn’t have surprised him that Schue jumped to the conclusion Puck would fuck around on Kurt, too. He had a well-deserved reputation for screwing around with pretty much any pretty girl he could get close to, and now that everyone knew he was bi he was sure it wouldn’t be long before he had the rep of being the same way about guys, whether it was true or not.

Dean was following right behind Puck, and they had just reached the parking lot when Dean asked suddenly, “Who’s Jesse?”

Puck frowned at the name, walking quickly across the deserted lot towards where the Impala was parked by his Ranger as he said, “He was a guy that sang with us for a while. He transferred here ‘cause of some plot Rachel’s mom – she’s the vocal coach for Vocal Adrenaline – cooked up to get Rachel to find out who she was and switch sides, but Rachel saw through Jesse’s attempts to get in her pants and stayed with Finn. Jesse decided to start sniffing around after Kurt instead, only he was sneaky about it so nobody knew until Kurt walked into the bathroom after an invitational thing about a month ago and found Jesse screwing one of the girls from Vocal Adrenaline. Kurt took off past the rest of us crying, and when we looked into the bathroom to see what upset him we put two and two together and figured out Jesse’s a cheating sack of shit.” Puck smirked suddenly, aware of the fact the expression looked downright scary as he added, “Jesse transferred back to Carmel a few days after that. He was afraid to come back to school.”

“You kick his ass?” Dean asked.

Puck looked at Dean, still smirking even though he was feeling pissed at the memory. Kurt was a master of pretending he was an ice queen that nobody could really hurt, no matter what they did to him, but Puck knew it was just a front. He had seen Kurt’s eyes when he ran out past them after he saw Jesse with that girl, and he knew Kurt had been devastated by Jesse cheating on him, whether Kurt loved the guy or not. “Somebody caught him in a dark parking lot that night and messed up his pretty face.” He paused, looking away from Dean as he thought about that night and how close he had come to actually killing Jesse. “And probably a few of his ribs,” he went on after a minute, looking at Dean again as they neared their vehicles. “I guess he never learned to dodge a punch.”

Dean smirked. “Good for you, man.” He tilted his head. “Is that what made you figure out you wanted Kurt for yourself?”

“The thought of Jesse touching Kurt made me want to kill the bastard,” Puck admitted, nodding as he stopped behind Dean’s car. “I might have if he hadn’t passed out.”

Puck fell silent as he remembered how angry he had been and how badly he had wanted to beat Jesse to death with his bare hands. He had thought he could control himself when he decided to teach Jesse a lesson, and he had done fine until Jesse had punched him in the dick instead of fighting fair. After that Puck had completely lost what little control he had over his temper, and it seemed like only a few moments later he had realized Jesse was unconscious, his face a mass of blood and bruises.

Puck had waited for Jesse to come around for only a few minutes before he decided that if Jesse hadn’t awakened within ten more minutes he was going to call 911 and pray they went easy on him because of his age. He had spent seven excruciatingly long minutes praying that Jesse wouldn’t stop breathing, listening intently to the way every breath Jesse took bubbled through the blood still leaking from Jesse’s broken nose. He had never been so glad to see someone start crying in his life, and he had been almost nice to Jesse as he loaded the kid into his SUV and told him that he never wanted to see him at McKinley again.

“I thought I _had_ killed him for a few minutes,” Puck went on finally, “but then he came around and started blubbering like a fucking girl. I made sure he knew better than to come back to McKinley and then I put him in his car and I left. Haven’t seen him since.”

“Sounds to me like he deserved what he got,” Dean said with a shrug. “Kurt’s not the kind of kid you treat that way. He’s too …”

“Sweet and innocent and beautiful as hell,” Puck finished quietly, not really talking to Dean. He and Kurt hadn’t gotten to talk as much as he wanted them to, not yet, but some things Kurt didn’t need to tell him for Puck to be sure they were true. Kurt had a definite knack for making out that Puck was sure would lead to Kurt being fantastic in bed, but Kurt’s surprise at how much he enjoyed some things and his blushing awe of others left Puck with no doubt Kurt was a virgin in every way. He would have bet cash money Kurt probably hadn’t ever even watched any porn.

Puck looked at Dean again finally as he added, “He’s the kind of kid that really _believes_ in forever.”

“Yeah.” Dean nodded, his hazel-green eyes curious and intent as he stared into Puck’s eyes. “Do you?”

Puck looked away from Dean again, smiling as he thought about Kurt again and the prospect of spending forever with him. “I want to.”

“Good,” Dean murmured, making Puck look at him in surprise. Dean reached out to put his hand on Puck’s shoulder as he gave Puck a smile that made Dean’s eyes go gentle and warm. “I may barely know the kid, but even I can see he’s head over heels in love with you.” He gave Puck’s shoulder a little bit of a squeeze and then let his hand drop as he moved towards the driver’s side of his Impala without another word.

Puck watched Dean for a moment longer and then moved towards the Ranger to get in. He was grinning like a fool and he knew it, but he couldn’t make himself care even a little bit.

 

~*~

 

Kurt had known that Noah often made dinner for himself, Quinn, and his sister, but he hadn’t understood that Noah _really_ cooked. He had expected Noah’s offer of spaghetti and meatballs to be quick and not especially good with a jarred or even _canned_ pasta sauce and plain meatballs that were just rolled chunks of ground meat, or possibly pre-made things right out of the freezer. It wasn’t his idea of a wonderful meal, but he had planned to eat every bite of what was offered to him anyway because he was so pleased that Noah wanted to cook for him.

Then Noah had breezed in the back door with Dean at his heels about twenty minutes after Kurt and Quinn got home with Sarah and Sam, and it didn’t take long for Kurt to learn how wrong he was. Kurt had gotten a hello kiss that made his toes curl and had his jeans uncomfortably tight again, and then Noah had proceeded to take fresh ingredients out of the fridge. Kurt had quickly realized that what Noah had gathered meant that Noah intended to start his own marinara sauce from scratch so he had offered his help, but Noah had refused, seeming a little surprised that Kurt had offered to help at all.

Noah had given Kurt a glass of ice water and shooed him away from the counter where he was working, and Kurt had ended up sitting at the kitchen table with Dean and Quinn. Dean and Quinn had relaxed at the table while Noah cooked, talking quietly with each other while Kurt pretended to listen to them, but he needn’t have bothered. Dean and Quinn hadn’t really talked much until that evening, and when they did they had found they actually liked each other, which led to them ignoring everyone else.

Sam was in the living room, working on his homework while Sarah sat nearby on the couch and watched him, asking occasional questions and very nearly simpering at Sam. Kurt wasn’t sure that Sam even realized she had been trying to flirt with him despite the age difference between them, but Sam was being so sweet and tolerant with Sarah that he hadn’t felt the need to say anything. Sam seemed very levelheaded and mature for his age, so Kurt figured that Sarah was safe with him even without anyone watching them.

Kurt really had no clue what Dean and Quinn had spent the evening talking about, despite the fact he was sitting at the table a few feet from them. He had been too busy watching Noah and wondering how he could possibly be so lucky as to be dating him. Sarah and Quinn had often claimed that Noah was a wonderful cook, but being able to see Noah in the kitchen for himself left Kurt feeling kind of awed and a little aroused.

Kurt had never really thought about what it might be like to watch a man cook for him, long used to the fact he did all the cooking for himself and his father because Burt was so unspeakably hopeless in the kitchen that even boxed macaroni and cheese wasn’t always a success, so watching Noah had been a revelation. Noah had moved around the kitchen like he belonged there, humming to himself quietly as he worked with a confident, efficient skill that made it seem like no time before everything was done and Noah had the spaghetti noodles on to boil. The marinara had smelled heavenly to Kurt, bubbling away on the back of the stove while a pan of meatballs sizzled in the oven, and soon Noah was using a small bowl of a homemade garlic-infused olive oil to brush over slices of crusty bread that he immediately put on a small, single-burner griddle pan to toast to perfection. 

Kurt was amazed when he finally tasted everything, and he had praised the food so much he made Noah blush all the way down to the collar of his t-shirt. He hardly paid attention to anyone during the rest of the meal, too busy enjoying the food and staring at Noah in awe to spend much time talking, but the way he caught Noah watching him several times made up for the fact he knew he’d be snacking on plain veggies for days. He didn’t diet to stay slim, mostly because he didn’t need to, but he knew his complexion well enough to know that the rich marinara and delicious veal meatballs would make his face break out if he didn’t try to keep his diet to low-fat foods for a few days afterwards.

Noah seemed to love seeing Kurt enjoy his cooking, and by the time dinner was over Noah was smirking and looking very smug. He had refused Kurt’s help again with cleaning up, but Kurt didn’t argue too much after he realized Noah was just sticking plates into the dishwasher. Noah had washed the pots and pans by hand, but he had made short work of it and it wasn’t long before he rejoined the others at the table to talk and relax.

It seemed to Kurt like it had only been a few minutes before Kurt, Noah, and Quinn were finally alone in the kitchen after a very eventful hour. Noah had come out to his mother, which had been kind of scary for Kurt until he realized Nancy wasn’t nearly as fearsome as Noah and Quinn made her out to be. Sam had gotten angry at Dean not long after that and stomped out, insisting that Dean take him home, and then Dean had left a few minutes later, but not before he called Kurt ‘pretty jailbait’, which left Kurt blushing and kind of surprised by how much he liked the way Dean had smirked at him.

“He’s right, y’know,” Noah said suddenly, making Kurt look at him in surprise. Noah was smirking at Kurt, sprawled comfortably in his chair with his hazel eyes sparkling and warm as he teased, “You’re beautiful, and you couldn’t pass as legal with the best fake ID ever.”

Kurt blinked and stared at Noah, blushing very red. “I am most definitely _not_ beautiful, Noah.”

Quinn giggled and reached over to pat Kurt’s hand, making him look at her as she smiled and moved to brace herself against the table and her chair to haul herself up to her feet. “You’re beautiful to _him_ , Kurt. Don’t fuss at him about it.”

“I wasn’t!” Kurt said quickly, “I just don’t agree.”

Quinn looked amused, both hands on her belly. “You don’t have to, sweetie.” She turned away, walking towards the hall as she added, “Good night, Kurt.”

Kurt watched Quinn go. “Good night.” He looked at Noah when she was gone, and he searched Noah’s eyes for something as he asked very softly, “Do you really feel that way?”

Noah smiled, looking surprisingly shy as he admitted quietly, “I could watch you for hours and enjoy every minute of it. I can’t think of anything more beautiful to me than you are.”

Kurt stared into Noah’s eyes for a long moment and then whispered, “I love you too, Noah.”

Noah’s eyes widened and then he suddenly looked thrilled, his hazel eyes sparkling as he leaned closer to Kurt and murmured, “I’m so damn glad to hear that, baby.” He kissed Kurt then, every move gentle and so loving there could be no doubt in Kurt’s mind how Noah felt about him even if Noah hadn’t said the words, and Kurt hummed softly as he leaned closer to deepen the kiss.

Kurt didn’t really think about it as he moved to settle sideways across Noah’s lap a few moments later, sliding his arms around Noah’s neck as they kissed languidly, every movement loving and slow. Noah kissed him like they had forever to enjoy it, and Kurt found it easy to relax into Noah’s arms and follow his lead as he just enjoyed being so close to the man he loved more than was probably intelligent. Noah kept the pace gentle and unhurried, not pushing for anything more than a simple kiss even though Kurt could feel Noah’s arousal hard and hot against his hip through their clothes, and it made Kurt feel so wanted and loved that his chest ached in an unfamiliar but completely thrilling way.

Kurt had been in Noah’s lap for a while when Nancy suddenly said with amusement, “Well, at least you waited until Sarah was in bed to start making out. That’s definitely an improvement, Noah.” Kurt pulled away from Noah quickly, blushing very red as he saw Nancy’s amused expression. She was dressed for a night at work and pouring herself another cup of coffee as she added dryly, “And thank you both for keeping your clothes on in my kitchen.”

“Mom!” Noah blurted, beet red. “We were just _kissing_ , damn.”

Nancy reached out without any hesitation to cuff Noah lightly on the back of the head with her free hand as she said, “Watch your mouth, Noah.”

“Sorry,” Noah muttered. “But still. It’s not like we were _doing_ anything.”

Nancy leaned against the counter, looking amused as she said, “Maybe, but from the looks of things that wouldn’t have lasted long.”

Kurt stood and moved away from Noah, blushing so red that it felt like his face was on fire. “I should go. Dad will be waiting for me, and he doesn’t like it when I stay out too late on a school night.”

Noah stood up, reaching for Kurt’s hand as he said quickly, “I’ll walk you out.”

Nancy snorted, amused. “You’ve got ten minutes before I’m coming out there after you, Noah.”

“I’m just gonna say good night, geeze,” Noah said quickly, blushing still as he started towards the door, tugging Kurt along by the hand.

Kurt let himself be led to the door, blushing even hotter at the knowing tone of Nancy’s voice as she murmured, “Uh-huh, _sure_ you are.”

Noah opened the door and let go of Kurt’s hand as he waited for Kurt to go out first, closing it behind them before he said quietly, “I’m sorry about that, babe. Mom’s even worse than Sarah about teasing me, but she usually doesn’t tease the people I date.”

Kurt moved closer to Noah, lifting his arms to put them around Noah’s neck and then toying with the soft hair at the nape of Noah’s neck as he smiled and murmured softly, “Considering who you’ve dated, I’m going to take it as a compliment.”

“Probably a good idea,” Noah agreed, his arms sliding around Kurt to pull him closer as he smiled. “Now where were we?”

“Saying good night,” Kurt whispered, tugging Noah’s head down for another of those slow searching kisses that left him feeling tingly and aroused and so loved it made him feel like he could fly.

 


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

 

 

Puck was grinning as he drove slowly with his right hand, letting the truck roll almost to a stop in front of old Mrs Carmichael’s house and swinging his left hand out the window to fling a newspaper onto her front porch. He reached for another paper as he started the Ranger forward again more quickly, heading towards the intersection half a block away.

He only had one street left on his route and normally he’d be bored stiff and thinking about what to make for breakfast when he got home, but that morning he was feeling awesome as the Ranger got closer to Sycamore Lane. He was just a few blocks from the Hummel house, where he had hand-delivered their newspaper to the door about ten minutes ago. Kurt had opened the door just before he reached it wearing a pair of his painted-on black skinny jeans and a slinky dark grey shirt that clung to him like a second skin, and he had looked so sexy that Puck had wanted to eat him alive right then and there. He had said as much and then Kurt had given him the kind of good morning kiss that dreams were made of.

Puck figured that kiss might well have led to more if Burt hadn’t walked up behind Kurt after a few minutes and reached to take the newspaper, pointing out with a hint of annoyance that Puck still had more papers to deliver before six. Kurt had pulled away from Puck blushing beet red as he agreed with his dad, and Puck hadn’t argued with them, giving Kurt a light peck of a kiss on the cheek and then hurrying back to his truck, which he had left in the street running with the driver’s door wide open.

As Puck was making the turn onto Sycamore, though, he began rethinking the whole idea of leaving so easily. He started delivering the papers on that street with an absent-minded ease born of lots of practice, debating with himself the whole way on the wisdom of returning to the Hummel house. He knew Kurt probably wouldn’t mind having him around as long as he behaved himself, but he wasn’t so sure what Burt’s reaction would be if he showed up at their doorstep again. Kurt had said that his dad wouldn’t be a problem the day before, but Burt hadn’t seemed completely thrilled that Kurt and Puck were making out on his front porch, which made Puck wonder just what Carole and Finn had told Burt about him.

Puck still hadn’t made a decision by the time he was tossing the last paper, so he drove to the little organic café downtown and then parked and took out his phone. He hit speed dial one without even looking at the phone, putting it to his ear and waiting patiently while it rang. He knew Quinn’s phone would be in her purse, which she wasn’t likely to have within reach so early in the morning while she was getting ready for school or doing her homework, so he figured it’d take her a minute or three to get to it.

Quinn finally picked up after the tenth ring, sounding breathless as she asked quickly, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, momma,” Puck said quickly as he realized he had worried her. “Calm down, I just wanted to ask a favor.”

Quinn let out a soft little relieved laugh. “Like what, honey?”

“Do you mind making dinner for Mom, and getting Sarah fed and on the bus?” Puck asked, feeling kind of sheepish. “I’ll buy you a BLT the size of your head on the way to school to make it up to you.”

“That depends,” Quinn said immediately, amused. “What did you promise Nancy for dinner, and where will you be?”

“She wanted the last of the matzo ball soup, it’s in the sink in the kitchen thawing out, all you’ll have to do is dump it into a bowl and nuke it,” Puck replied, grinning a bit as he shifted in his seat. “And I _hope_ I’ll be having breakfast with Kurt. I wanted to call you and make sure you didn’t mind before I called to see if he’d like me to come over.”

“I don’t mind a bit,” Quinn said quickly, sounding happy. “Good luck, sweetheart.”

“Thanks, momma,” Puck murmured, his grin softening into a fond smile. “There’s some strawberry poptarts for Sarah hidden behind the flour in the back of the pantry. Offer her those and you won’t even have to cook anything.”

Sarah’s favorite breakfast was strawberry poptarts, but their mom usually only allowed them on special occasions because they weren’t exactly kosher. Sarah had eaten them at a friend’s house when she was too young to really understand the whole kosher thing, and she loved them so much that Puck had been sneaking her poptarts as treats ever since. Sarah’s version of kosher was a lot more strict than their mom’s was – Sarah seemed to get a kick out of being different – but poptarts were something she always made an exception for it they were offered. Nancy had bought them for Sarah more than once too, so Puck didn’t even feel bad about sneaking them to her. They just made sure not to _ever_ mention them around Nana Connie, kind of like they didn’t talk about the whole sweet-and-sour-pork-on-holy-days habit Nancy had, or Puck’s weakness for bacon cheeseburgers and a good sausage pizza.

“I’m sure she and I can figure something out,” Quinn said with a soft laugh. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

“Kurt always leaves early anyway, so I’ll probably be by to get you in an hour or so,” Puck agreed, smiling still.

“Alright, honey, see you then,” Quinn said. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Puck replied, waiting for Quinn to hang up before he pulled the phone away from his ear, flipping it closed and then immediately opening it again to hit speed dial two. Puck put the phone back to his ear, expecting to have to wait a few minutes because Kurt likely wouldn’t have his phone with him, so he was surprised when he answered after the second ring.

“Noah, is everything okay?” Kurt asked quickly, sounding surprised and a little worried.

Puck laughed, amused that evidently Quinn and Kurt leapt to the same conclusions when he called them at dawn, namely that he was in trouble. “Yeah babe, I’m fine. I was just about to get some coffee from the café downtown, and I wondered if you’d like me to bring you some. I know how you love the stuff, and I figured your dad probably likes it too, the way you complain about him drinking all of your coffee in the mornings while you get ready for school.”

“Oh!” Kurt let out a relieved-sounding laugh, and then there was a pause before he murmured, “Just a sec.” Puck heard a rustle and then heard Kurt’s muffled voice asking, “Dad, is it okay if Noah joins us for breakfast? He’s offering to bring us coffee from the café.”

There was a short pause and then Puck heard Burt’s voice reply just a bit gruffly, “If you want Puckerman here, Kurt, he’s welcome as long as he behaves himself. He doesn’t have to bribe me.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Kurt said, still muffled, and then there was a rustle again and his voice was suddenly crystal clear as he said, “That would be wonderful, Noah.”

“Great,” Puck said, grinning widely as he picked at a ragged spot on the knee of his jeans and wondered just what behaving himself meant to Burt. Puck and Quinn had spent a lot of time hanging out with Kurt in the last month or two, but being with Kurt would be torture if Burt decided he didn’t want them to do anything more than like, _hold hands_ or some shit. “Breakfast would be good, I’m starving. What’re you making?”

“Fresh waffles with bacon and orange juice,” Kurt replied, sounding happy. “There’s cereal too though, if you’d rather have that.”

“Waffles and bacon sounds _awesome_ ,” Puck said with a soft laugh. “I’ll be there in ten.”

“Okay,” Kurt agreed happily. “Breakfast should be nearly ready by then. Just come on in when you get here, I’ll be busy cooking and I don’t want you knocking on the door, you might wake Carole.”

“Okay, babe, I’ll see you in a few minutes,” Puck said quietly, smiling.

“See you then,” Kurt said, and then a moment later the phone went silent as he hung up.

Puck flipped his phone closed and then stuffed it in his right front pocket as he opened the door of his truck and got out, grinning widely as he headed into the café to get coffee.

 

~*~

 

Kurt had just put a plate of waffles and bacon in front of his dad and was back at the counter pouring batter into the waffle maker again when he heard the front door close so quietly he almost missed it. He tried not to let the happy thrill that went through him show, making himself pay attention to the waffle maker until it was closed, and then he looked towards the kitchen door just as Noah sauntered through it.

Noah was carrying a caddy of four tall coffee cups in one hand and had another caddy with two more cups in it in the other, smiling and looking happy as he nodded respectfully to Burt and said quietly, “Morning again, sir.”

Burt’s lips twitched in amusement as he looked at Noah, pausing in buttering his waffles. “Morning. Nice of you to bring us coffee.”

Noah grinned and put the larger caddy in front of Burt by a plate of sliced strawberries that Burt had completely ignored, even though Kurt always tried to convince him to eat his waffles with fruit instead of syrup. “I knew Kurt would like some, so I figured I’d better get some for everyone while I was at it, sir.”

“There’s only five of us, counting you, Puck,” Burt pointed out, reaching to take one of the coffee cups. “Who’s the extra cup for?”

“I figured you and Kurt could fight over it,” Noah said cheekily, making Burt laugh. Noah fell into one of the chairs around the kitchen island that doubled as a breakfast bar and their dining room table, leaving an empty chair between him and Burt as he sat down to watch Kurt working. He reached for the caddy with just two cups of coffee in it, taking one of them as he added, “I know he’d probably _breathe_ coffee in the mornings if he could figure out how, and the way he talks about you drinking a whole pot before breakfast, I figured you’re the same way.”

Burt snorted, amused as he went back to buttering his waffles. “He got it honest, for sure. Between us we go through at _least_ a pot before Carole is up.”

“Usually more like two,” Carole said suddenly, making Kurt look towards the door in surprise to see Carole standing there in her big fluffy bathrobe, looking surprised and kind of confused even though she was obviously wide awake.

“I didn’t wake you coming in, did I, ma’am?” Noah asked quickly, looking at Carole with a concerned expression.

Carole just stared at Noah for a moment, her expression unreadable as she finally said, “You didn’t wake me, Puck, but what are you doing here at six in the morning? Shouldn’t you be making dinner for Nancy and getting Sarah up for school?”

Noah blushed a bit, looking kind of sheepish. “Quinn’s taking care of Mom and Sarah for me, ma’am. Mom wanted leftovers anyway, and Sarah has poptarts today, so it’s not like she’ll have to do very much. I’m getting breakfast for Quinn on my way to pick her up for school. She’s been craving bacon and Mom won’t let her have any at home.”

“Would you like some coffee, Carole?” Kurt asked then, quickly taking two finished waffles out of the waffle maker and then turning away to look at Carole again. “Noah brought enough from the café for everyone.”

Carole finally walked into the kitchen, moving to sit down between Noah and Burt. “That would be nice, Kurt, thank you.” She looked at Noah then, adding, “And thank you for bringing coffee, Puck.”

“I was glad to, ma’am,” Noah said quickly as he leaned to get a cup of coffee for Carole and offer it to her, giving Carole a hesitant little smile that made Kurt realize that Noah and Carole probably hadn’t talked since the whole babygate debacle went down.

Carole smiled at Noah as she accepted the cup. “Thank you.” She took the lid off of her cup as she added, “You didn’t answer me yet, Puck. Why are you here?”

Noah blinked and then looked over at Kurt in obvious surprise. “You didn’t tell her?”

“I hadn’t, no,” Kurt admitted with a sheepish smile for Noah. “I barely saw her last night, and the subject didn’t come up.” He looked at Carole, smiling a bit wider as he added, “Noah’s here because he’s my boyfriend.”

Carole stared at Kurt for a moment and then looked at Noah, frowning as she said firmly, “Alright, _Noah_. Now would be a good time for you to explain yourself. Quickly. Last _I_ heard, you and Quinn were living together and about to have a baby.”

Noah flushed and was obviously kind of worried as he looked at Carole and said quickly, “Quinn lives with me and she’s having my kid, yeah, but we’re not together and never have been.” Carole’s eyebrows went up and she looked decidedly unconvinced as Noah added hurriedly, “We tried dating because of Beth and all, but we just don’t feel that way about each other. She’s my best friend and I love her, but we’ve never done anything more than kiss.”

Carole snorted and looked a little angry as she said pointedly, “She’s _pregnant_ , Puck. Finn might have believed that could happen in a hot tub while they were dressed, but I know that _you_ know better.”

Noah flushed even redder at that and looked down, picking at the edge of the lid on his cup of coffee. “It was _once_. We were drunk, and neither one of us really even remembers what we did. It wasn’t something we planned, it just happened.”

Carole sighed as all of her anger seemed to drain away. “Why didn’t you just tell the truth?”

“I wanted to,” Noah said quietly, not looking up. “Quinn was scared though, and made me promise not to tell either of you. I didn’t want to hurt anybody any worse than I already had, especially her and Finn, so I let her lie about it. She loved Finn more than anything and she didn’t want to lose him because her big sister got us smashed enough to do something stupid.”

Carole sighed. “Noah, letting her lie hurt him _more_.”

Noah finally looked up at Carole again, his hazel eyes pained and dark. “I know that now, believe me. He’ll still barely talk to me, and if Quinn tries to talk to him most of the time he just gives her that look that says she’s worse than dirt and then walks away.”

“If you two had just told me what happened, I could have helped make him understand,” Carole said gently, reaching out to put her hand on Noah’s shoulder.

“I was afraid to talk to you,” Noah murmured, looking down and swallowing hard as he reached to put his coffee on the table. “It was bad enough I lost Finn ‘cause I’m so damn _stupid_. I couldn’t take finding out you hated me, too.”

“Oh sweetheart, no. I was disappointed in you and Quinn, yes, but I could never _hate_ either of you,” Carole said softly, putting down her coffee and reaching out towards Noah to hug him.

Noah looked shocked for just an instant before his face seemed to crumple and he moved quickly to meet Carole, hugging her as he hid his face against her shoulder and whispered quietly enough Kurt could barely hear him, “I missed you so much, Aunt Carole.”

Carole held Noah tightly, rubbing his back and rocking him slightly as she murmured, “I missed you too, sweetie. Don’t ever be afraid to talk to me again, okay? You made a mistake, but you’ve been family to me since you were born and _nothing_ will ever change that.”

“I’ll remember,” Noah agreed softly, still holding on to Carole like he might never let go.

Kurt looked towards his dad then, wondering what Burt thought of it all, and he was surprised to see a thoughtful, concerned look on his dad’s face as Burt watched Carole and Noah. Burt actually seemed to care about seeing Noah so obviously in distress, which gave Kurt hope that his dad might really accept Noah as part of the family eventually. Burt hadn’t been thrilled to find them making out on the front porch that morning and had made a few pointed remarks afterwards that Kurt was being gullible to trust a boy like ‘Puckerman’ with his heart.

Kurt knew that his dad hadn’t really believed it when he told Burt that his Noah wasn’t very much like the Puck the rest of the world knew. Kurt had realized that Noah was acting a part that he thought was expected of him months ago, but it had only been recently that he was truly allowed to see the real Noah, and he knew that few other people had been so privileged. Noah was always himself if he was alone with Quinn or Sarah, and he had stopped hiding the real him from Kurt somewhere along the way, too, but even Mercedes’ presence would make Noah’s walls go up as he put on his badass Puck act like most people put on a coat.

It seemed like Carole had been one of the privileged few to know the real Noah, if the way she was just silently holding Noah and letting him pull himself together was any indication. Kurt turned away to load more waffle batter into the waffle maker and then he put the forgotten waffles he had taken out of the machine into the toaster to reheat, hoping that things would work out for the best for all of them. He thought they would, thought that Noah wandering in for breakfast might have fixed something that had been hurting Noah for months now, but it was too soon for him to be sure.

Kurt didn’t know the whole story, but he had learned enough from Sarah and Quinn to be sure that Carole was like a second mother to Noah, and that he’d been devastated when Finn declared Noah wasn’t welcome in his home anymore. Noah and Sarah both had called Carole ‘aunt’ since they could talk because Carole and Nancy had been like sisters all through school. Carole had taken care of Noah and Sarah since Nancy had to start working when Noah was four, and Kurt knew from things Quinn had said that Noah had been closer to Carole than he was to his own mother, so he was very glad that they were talking again.

Kurt knew how much Noah had changed and matured in the last six months, he had watched it happen, and he was sure Noah would never give Carole cause to regret giving him a second chance. Carole was obviously willing to forgive Noah, and that was enough to make Kurt think that their relationship might recover, even though Carole and Nancy’s friendship had drifted from being best friends who saw each other daily to acquaintances that barely ever spoke at all.

Kurt took the fresh waffles out of the machine, putting them on a plate and adding bacon, and then he put the waffles out of the toaster on another plate, leaving off the bacon even though he knew Noah would like to have some. Carole was sure to comment if Noah tried to eat any bacon, and might even tell Noah’s Nana Connie, so Kurt didn’t intend to risk it until he knew Noah’s feelings on the idea. He gathered up both of the plates, carrying them over to the table to set them down as he murmured, “Your waffles are ready.”

Noah pulled away from Carole quickly, obviously embarrassed by his tears as he rubbed at his face with one hand, not looking at anyone as he muttered, “Sorry about that. I don’t usually fall apart like a freaking girl.”

“Don’t be silly, sweetie,” Carole said firmly. “There’s nothing to apologize for anymore.”

Noah looked at her in surprise. “Seriously?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it,” Carole said, giving Noah a soft smile before she turned her attention towards Kurt. “The waffles smell lovely, Kurt, and strawberries are the perfect thing to top them with. Thank you so much for making breakfast for everyone so I wouldn’t have to.”

“I thought you might enjoy them.” Kurt smiled at Carole, feeling a wave of love for her that kind of amazed him. She really was the most spectacular lady he knew, and he was close friends with several exceedingly special women. The fact that she obviously loved Noah like he was her own son made Kurt fairly sure that she couldn’t possibly get any more awesome.

“I love them,” Carole agreed, smiling as she spooned slices of strawberries onto her waffles.

“Strawberries are her favorite thing to go on waffles,” Noah added, reaching for the butter to spread some on his waffles. “The only thing missing is the Redi Whip.”

“I can fix that,” Kurt said as he moved to the fridge to get out the canned whipped cream, pleased that Noah had said something. He often put a dollop in a cup of coffee when he wanted something sweet, so it was always in the fridge, though he hid it so Finn wouldn’t find it. He used to keep it in the door until Finn had eaten a _whole can_ one night as a midnight snack, and after that Kurt had buried it in the vegetable drawer. Finn kind of passionately hated veggies unless Rachel was around to simper at him for eating them, so the Redi Whip was completely safe under the celery.

Kurt only took a moment in the fridge and was carrying the Redi Whip towards the table as Carole smiled at Noah, looking pleased as she said, “I’m surprised you remember that.”

Noah shrugged one shoulder, giving Carole a crooked smile. “I remember waffles on Saturday with strawberries and whipped cream for you, and chocolate chips and whipped cream for the rest of us. It was one of my favorite things about weekends when Mom had to work.”

Carole laughed softly as Kurt put the Redi Whip where she could reach it. “Finn and I haven’t done Saturday waffles in _years_.”

“Neither have me and Sarah,” Noah said, still smiling as he put the butter back where he had gotten it. “We tried frozen waffles a few times, but they weren’t half as good as the ones you used to make for us.”

“I used my mother’s recipe, and the waffle iron she gave me when I got married,” Carole said quietly as she reached for the Redi Whip. “Once Nancy decided you were too old for a babysitter, Finn was usually in a hurry to go to your house on Saturday mornings, so we got out of the habit.”

Burt spoke up for the first time in a long while then, making Kurt notice that he was almost done with his waffles. “You let Finn go to Puck’s house without an adult to supervise them?”

Carole laughed, finishing up with adding whipped cream to her strawberries and then setting the can aside. “Of course not, I went over there too. We usually ended up staying there for half the day playing video games after the boys got Puck’s chores done.”

Noah grinned, nodding as Carole handed him the syrup. “Carole’s _awesome_ at Mario Kart.”

Kurt smiled at Noah, amused. “You and _Mario_.”

Noah grinned a bit wider at Kurt, nodding towards Carole as he looked down to pour syrup over his waffles sparingly. “Her fault. She’s the one who gave us a Nintendo and a box of games for Christmas one year.”

“Finn’s dad was an avid fan of Nintendo,” Carole explained with a soft laugh. “His idea of a great date was usually to invite me over for several hours of Zelda and a pizza, followed by making out.”

Kurt laughed, looking at Noah as he teased, “Sounds like someone else I know.”

“I’d never ask you over to my house play Nintendo,” Noah said quickly, grinning as he passed the syrup back to Carole, who put it back down by Burt’s plate. “I’d bring my Cube over here. You’ve got a much bigger TV, and Sarah’s not going to walk in on us if we get distracted.”

Kurt blushed as he laughed, turning away to start making waffles again. “Of course you would. How could I have been so dumb as to think otherwise? You will _always_ be able to make time for Mario.”

“You know that they say, babe,” Noah said cheekily, making Kurt glance over his shoulder. Noah picked out a slice of strawberry off the plate on the table, smirking at Kurt as he teased, “Practice makes perfect.”

Noah popped the strawberry slice in his mouth then, looking so smug that Kurt couldn’t do anything but laugh again as he turned back to the waffle maker to finish making breakfast. His dad would want more waffles, and Noah would likely want more too, especially after Kurt told him about the blueberries in the fridge. Kurt had bought them the first time because he knew how much Noah loved them and he intended to offer them sometime when Noah was over and wanted a snack, but then he had tried them and discovered he loved fresh blueberries despite his dislike of most blueberry-flavored things. He had been putting blueberries in his fruit salads ever since, and he had a feeling Noah would enjoy some on waffles, too.

Kurt would want a waffle with blueberries and Redi Whip for himself too, of course, but he expected to pass the other one – their waffle maker made two square waffles at a time – to Finn. The last time Kurt made waffles for Finn, he had ended up making three batches just for Finn before Finn finally decided he’d had enough, and he knew Finn would be wandering in before too much longer ready to inhale anything put in front of him.

 

~*~

 

Puck put blueberries on his second plate of waffles, which he knew were going to be amazing. Kurt’s waffles were almost as good as the ones Puck remembered Carole making for him, and the fresh blueberries were the perfect topping, just the right blend of tart and sweet. He had been kind of surprised when Kurt casually got out the blueberries because he had seen Kurt refuse blueberry-flavored things so many times. When he asked about it, Kurt had admitted he got the blueberries for Puck, but had tried one and discovered he liked the fruit when it was fresh, so he had been eating them too.

Puck intended to beg Kurt to make waffles for him again sometime soon, hopefully on a weekend so Sarah and Quinn could enjoy them, too. He knew Sarah would be thrilled by the idea, and Quinn would be glad to eat anywhere that she could have some bacon without being lectured. Puck would be too, for that matter, but first he’d have to make time to talk to Carole and break it to her gently that he might carry a yarmulke in his back pocket with his wallet like a good Jew was supposed to, and he was perfectly willing to go to temple with his Nana when she asked him to, but some things about being Jewish just weren’t for him. Living without bacon was right up at the top of the list, and supreme pizza was right below it.

Finn wandered into the kitchen then and stopped short as he exclaimed, “Dude!” Puck looked up quickly in surprise to see Finn was already dressed for school and looking kind of freaked out as he blurted, “Kurt’s boyfriend gets to _sleep here_ and I can’t even have Rachel in my room with the door closed?!”

Kurt blinked and then laughed. “Noah didn’t _sleep here_ , Finn. He’s just eating breakfast here before he gives me a ride to school.”

Giving Kurt a ride to school was news to Puck, but he liked the idea enough that hearing it made him grin. It would mean having Kurt to himself for a few minutes, and he was sure he could work that for at least one good kiss.

Finn stared at Kurt for a moment, looking kind of freaked still as he said, “You don’t _need_ a ride to school, Kurt. You have a _car_.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and looked back down at his plate to go back to eating his breakfast, spearing a blueberry and swiping it through the whipped cream on his plate as he said dryly, “Yes, I am well aware of that, but me driving to school serves little or no purpose when I can catch a ride with Noah, who was nearby anyway. It’s a waste of gas for us to both drive when we would rather be together.”

“Smart,” Burt pointed out then, making Puck look at him in surprise. “But it would be even smarter if you parked that Ranger here and drove the Navigator. It gets better gas mileage, and has more room.”

“I figure we can switch off,” Puck said, smiling at Burt. “That way we both save money on gas, and Mercedes won’t have to catch a ride with Mike every day.”

“I’ve got to text her,” Kurt said quickly then, and Puck looked at him to see Kurt jump up to dig his phone out of his back pocket. “I totally forgot to let her know she needed to ride with Mike.”

“What about me?” Finn asked as he dropped into one of the two remaining chairs. “I was going to ride with you today too, Kurt.”

Kurt gave Finn a level look as he sat back down in his chair next to Puck. “If you intended to, you should have asked.”

“Babe, we can park the Ranger and take your car,” Puck said, amused. “Then there’ll be room for everyone.”

“No, we can’t,” Kurt said reasonably, glancing at Puck and then looking back at his phone as his thumbs quickly tapped out a text to Mercedes. “You’ll want to take a nap later, and there’s no room for you to stretch out in the Navigator.”

Puck laughed. “I can stretch out in the back seat and get comfortable enough, I promise.”

“When do you plan to have time for a nap?” Carole asked then, and Puck looked at her quickly. “Surely not when you should be in class?”

Puck grinned sheepishly. “Coach got permission for me. Math gives me a headache, so I go take a nap. I turn in all my homework and show up for tests.”

Carole snorted, looking amused. “Math doesn’t give you _headaches_. I remember you spending hours on end tutoring Finn and Quinn after school. You have the patience of a _saint_ when it comes to numbers.”

“It’s not the math, really, it’s the teacher,” Puck explained, feeling his face heating up a bit. “Robertson’s got this annoying, nasally voice that makes me want to hit him.”

“He can be rather trying to listen to,” Kurt agreed with a soft laugh. “Which would be why I often have my iPod earphones hidden in my collar.”

Puck snickered, looking at Kurt. “That’s cheating.”

Kurt smirked and reached over to pat Puck’s hand. “That’s usually the only way I win, sweetheart.”

Finn grumbled something under his breath that Puck couldn’t quite hear, but it made Kurt look at Finn as he said sharply, “I _don’t_ have to cook for you, Finn, and I won’t if you continue to be so obnoxious. Noah is my boyfriend and I expect you to either accept that or avoid us altogether.”

Finn looked a little annoyed. “This is my house too, Kurt. I shouldn’t have to be nice to _him_.”

“Finn, stop being so childish,” Carole said quietly, making Finn look at her in shock. “If we can all put up with Rachel and her lectures about eating anything that ever breathed, you can put up with Noah. He’s not bothering you and hasn’t said or done anything that should have upset you.”

“Mom, he got Quinn pregnant and lied to me about it for _months_ ,” Finn protested, looking somewhere between hurt and angry. “And he’s all over Kurt _all the time_. I don’t want to have to watch that in my own house.”

“So leave the room, Finn,” Burt said quickly, frowning. “This is your home, but it’s Kurt’s home too, and I’ll be damned if you’re going to tell him to hide in it.”

Puck was a little surprised that Burt had spoken up, but after thinking about it only a moment he realized he shouldn’t be. Burt was in Kurt’s corner and always had been, and Finn had been treating Kurt kind of bad for a long time. Puck doubted that Burt knew about most of it – Kurt didn’t talk about all the harassment he had been subjected to unless someone managed to force him to – but he figured Burt knew enough to shorten his patience with Finn.

“I feel the same way,” Carole said firmly, giving Finn a disappointed look. “I think you need to really stop and consider what you’re saying for a few minutes, Finn. You’re not being very fair at all to Kurt.”

“It’s not Kurt that bothers me, it’s _him_ ,” Finn said quickly, pointing at Puck with his fork with a frown. “This is just some game to him, that’s all it ever is. As soon as he gets laid he’ll be gone.”

“Dude, seriously,” Puck said with a frown, trying to hide how much that had hurt. “I know you hate me now, but it’s not like that. I’m gonna be with Kurt until _he_ tells me to get lost, and I’d hang around even after that, hoping he might take pity on my worthless ass and take me back.”

Finn stared at Puck. “You really expect me to believe that you’re serious about him? You’ve never been serious about anyone in your _life_ , Puck.”

“I never stopped dating other people for anyone else, either,” Puck pointed out, “but Kurt is it for me. I don’t need anyone else as long as I’ve got him.”

Kurt reached for Puck’s hand, lacing their fingers together as he gave Puck a sweet, loving smile. “I love you too.”

Puck grinned at Kurt. “I know. I’m easy to love.”

Kurt laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far, sweetheart.”

“You really quit sleeping around?” Finn blurted suddenly, making Puck and Kurt both look at him again. “Even the cougars?”

“Completely,” Puck said firmly, flushing at Finn bringing cougars up in front of Carole and Burt. Puck was pretty sure Carole knew, but he didn’t think Burt did, and he didn’t really want him to. “I haven’t even _kissed_ anyone in weeks, except Kurt.” It had been almost two weeks, but that counted as multiple weeks as far as Puck was concerned.

Kurt gave Puck’s hand a squeeze, smiling at him. “Which for you is like _months_ from anyone else.”

Puck let out a surprised little laugh, feeling his face heating up. “What can I say, babe. I like my favorite hobby.”

“That’s my cue to leave,” Burt said suddenly, making Puck look towards him as Burt stood up. “I’ll see you after work, honey.” Burt moved to kiss Carole lightly and then started towards the door with what was left of his coffee – he had ended up with the extra cup of coffee Puck had brought, just like Puck thought he would – as he said firmly, “Just keep in mind that I don’t have much of a sense of humor, Puck, and it disappears entirely if you hurt my son.”

“I’ll remember, sir,” Puck said quickly.

“That’s a good start.” Burt walked out of the kitchen then, and everyone was quiet until they all heard the front door close.

“Finn, did you bring Noah’s past relationships up in front of Dad just to try and get him hurt?” Kurt asked then, giving Finn a dirty look.

“No!” Finn said quickly, frowning. “I’m just not stupid enough to think I can trust him, and you shouldn’t be either.”

Kurt pursed his lips, staring at Finn for a moment before he said abruptly, “Alright, how about we agree that _my_ boyfriend is _my_ business, Finn, and you keep your nose out of it, hmm? You don’t want him around here, I get that, but it’s _not_ asking much for me to expect you to be civil to him at meals. I don’t like Rachel very much either, but you bring her home practically every day and I always try very hard to be nice to her because you’re my brother, or soon will be, and I care about you enough to make an effort on your behalf.” Kurt’s cell began to play ‘ _Beautiful_ ’ then and Kurt glanced at it as he stood up, adding simply, “It would be nice if you at least pretended to do the same for me.” Kurt looked at Puck, giving his hand a squeeze as he murmured, “I’m going downstairs for a few minutes to talk to ‘Cedes and grab my things, then we can go.”

“Alright, babe,” Puck agreed, giving Kurt a soft smile. “Take your time, we’re in no hurry.”

Kurt smiled back and leaned down to kiss Puck briefly, then let go of his hand and walked to the door of his room, disappearing inside and closing it quietly behind him.

Carole sighed then and stood up to start gathering up the dirty dishes as she said quietly, “Finn, I do wish you would think a little more before you talk to Kurt.”

“Are you really taking his side in this, Mom?” Finn asked, obviously hurt and upset by the idea.

Carole looked at Finn for a moment and then said calmly, “Someone should, Finn. You promised Burt months ago that you were going to look out for Kurt like a big brother would, but you’re certainly not doing it.”

Finn looked down, flushing. “Why does it have to be _Puck_ , though? I could put up with _anyone_ else. I _did_ put up with Jesse!”

“Do you really hate me more than Jesse?” Puck asked quietly, trying not to let the way that made him feel show.

Finn looked at Puck for a long moment, just gazing into Puck’s eyes, and then finally his shoulders slumped as he looked down. “No. I don’t hate you.” He lifted his gaze to meet Puck’s again, “But it _scares_ _me_ when I see how much he cares about you, how much he _needs_ you. It’ll kill him if you screw this up, and then Burt _is_ gonna shoot you.”

“I love him, Finn,” Puck said quietly, admitting something to Finn that he hadn’t told anyone but Quinn yet. He hadn’t even managed to say it to Kurt, though he thought Kurt understood it was true. Kurt had said things to make it seem like he did, anyway, which would have to be good enough for now. Every time Puck had tried to say it to Kurt, he had ended up kissing him instead because he couldn’t make himself say the words. “If I screw this up, I’ll be _begging_ Burt to put me out of my misery.”

Finn stared into Puck’s eyes for a few moments and then said slowly, “It’s kind of scary that I believe you.”

“You should,” Puck said quietly. “It’s the truth.”

Finn looked at Puck for another moment and then suddenly looked down to start eating his breakfast, not seeming to care that it was cold as he cut up his waffles and said quietly, “Alright. If you _really_ love him, I’ll try to take a step back. I know how you are about people you love, and he needs someone who’ll stand up for him like that.”

“Thanks, bro,” Puck said quietly, relieved.

Finn looked at Puck again. “Just don’t make me regret trusting you again, man. I know me and Kurt don’t get along so well sometimes, but he _is_ my brother and I don’t want you hurting him like you hurt me.”

“I won’t, Finn,” Puck agreed, flushing in shame. “I swear it on Sarah’s life.”

Finn nodded and looked back down as he started eating without another word.

 

~*~

 

Kurt moved to his dressing table to sit down as he called Mercedes back, not at all surprised that she picked up on the first ring. “Did Mike mind giving you a ride?”

“Nah, he just left the house when I called him, and he’ll be here in a minute,” Mercedes said quickly, sounding cheerful. “Now what’s this about your boy joining you for breakfast? Did _someone_ get lucky last night?”

Kurt laughed, blushing. “No! He just brought coffee after he finished his paper route, and then he ate breakfast with us. He’s upstairs now with Finn and Carole.”

Mercedes was quiet a moment and then said, “You’re a _mean_ boyfriend, damn.”

“No, I’m not,” Kurt said quickly. “Carole won’t let Finn harass him too much, and they needed to talk. Finn’s got his head up his ass about something, and Noah wants to fix things between them so they’re going to have to start talking again sooner or later.”

“Puck told you he wants to fix things with Finn?” Mercedes said, surprised.

“Not in so many words, but yes,” Kurt said, looking into his mirror as he checked his hair, rearranging a wisp that had somehow gotten out of place. “Finn is like a brother to him, and Noah misses him a lot more than he wants to admit. He doesn’t have anyone to hang out and play video games with anymore.”

“ _You_ like to play video games,” Mercedes pointed out, sounding confused. “You’re even good at it. Better than _me_ , and I can kick Puck’s ass if I want to on anything but _Mario Kart_.”

“Yes, I do, but he needs friends too, Mercedes,” Kurt explained, amused. “If we spend every waking moment together, we’ll drive each other crazy eventually. He’s very much a guy, no matter how sweet he is, and he needs something of his own that will be fun for him to do on nights when ‘ _Project Runway’_ is on, or when we’re all out shopping. For now he can hang out with Dean, but Dean won’t be here for long, and this summer there will be spa days and shopping trips and who knows what else that we’ll want to do that Noah would rather avoid if at all possible.”

Mercedes snickered. “Right, I got you.” Kurt heard a rustling sound as she moved quickly and then a door opened as she said, “I’ve got to go, Mike’s here.”

“Is Matt with him?” Kurt asked quickly, smirking.

“ _Yes_ , now bye,” Mercedes said hurriedly, and then the phone clicked off.

Kurt laughed softly to himself and stood to put his phone away, moving to his closet to get his favorite beret and his Doc Martin boots and then sitting on the bed to put his boots on. He thought they would go perfectly with his outfit for the day, and he knew Noah liked the things that the heels on the boots did for his ass and legs. He had caught Noah looking every time he had worn them so far, and he loved seeing that kind of awed, hungry look in Noah’s eyes directed at him.

Catching Noah eyeing his body always made Kurt feel absolutely gorgeous, even though he knew quite well that he was rather skinny and looked fourteen. Noah liked what he saw at least, and Kurt thought Noah had to be a good judge of what a beautiful body looked like. Noah had looked in the mirror every day at his own body for years, after all, so Kurt knew he had a good standard of perfection to compare to. Noah’s body was quite simply faultless as far as Kurt was concerned, perfectly toned and muscular without being muscle-bound, and he was looking forward to the day he was allowed to just look his fill. He was sure it would happen soon, and he could hardly wait for it.

Kurt knew that Noah would love seeing how Kurt admired his body. There were many things that Noah could be embarrassed about, but his appearance wasn’t one of them. Noah took great pride in how he looked and worked hard to stay in perfect shape, and Kurt was very sure that Noah would soak up the attention like a sponge, leaving him almost insufferably smug for a good long while afterwards. Noah was confident of his sex appeal, and deservedly so, but seeing how irresistible he was to Kurt in particular was sure to boost Noah’s already healthy ego into the stratosphere.

Kurt stood and moved to his full-length mirror to check his reflection, turning to look over his shoulder and try to see how his new black jeans looked from behind. They clung to every curve in a way that left very little to the imagination, and when he turned back around to check his beret, he was blushing. He had bought the jeans specifically because he had caught Noah looking more when he wore skinny jeans than at any other time, and he had thought Noah would particularly approve of this pair and the identical pair still hanging in his closet. They were a size too small but had enough lycra in them to make them stretchy so they clung to him like a second skin, much the same way the soft charcoal-colored turtleneck he was wearing did.

Kurt was just turning his head to be sure his beret was perfect when he heard his door open and then Noah trotted down the stairs. “Babe? You about ready?” Noah asked, looking kind of amused. “Mom just called, and she wants me to stop long enough to at least say good morning to her and Sarah before we head into school.”

Kurt was about to answer when he checked the mirror one last time, smirking at the way Noah’s gaze had dropped to his ass the moment Kurt’s back was to him. “That’s fine, sweetheart,” he said, feeling smug at the instant heat in Noah’s eyes. “I’m ready to go anyway.”

“Me too,” Noah said quietly, smirking just a bit, and Kurt had to giggle. Noah’s gaze jerked up and he saw Kurt watching him in the mirror, then he laughed slightly. “Sorry babe, just…  Damn. Those jeans ought to be against the law.” He let out another little laugh. “Probably _are._ I kinda doubt that what they do for your ass could be anything but illegal.”

Kurt smirked and turned away from the mirror, moving over to Noah to rest one hand on Noah’s chest, fighting the urge to stroke the firm muscles under his fingertips as he gazed up into Noah’s eyes and murmured, “I hope you know how amazing it makes me feel when I catch you looking at me like that.”

The hungry expression in Noah’s hazel eyes shifted to something much more gentle as Noah lifted one hand to Kurt’s jaw, his thumb stroking just below Kurt’s lower lip as Noah said quietly, “I’m glad you like it, ‘cause I can’t stop myself from doing it.”

Kurt moved a little closer to Noah, looking down at where his hand rested on Noah’s tight grey t-shirt as he admitted softly, “Seeing that look in your eyes makes me feel like I’m the hottest thing you’ve ever seen.”

“Only because it’s true,” Noah whispered, smiling as he tipped Kurt’s chin upwards to make Kurt look at him. Noah’s hazel eyes were sparkling and full of something Kurt was sure must be love, whether Noah had managed to say the words yet or not. Seeing Noah looking at him like that made Kurt’s whole body feel warm and kind of tingly as Noah leaned in slowly, waiting until their lips were almost touching to breathe out very softly, “Now that I really see you, baby, I don’t even want to look at anyone else.”

Noah kissed him then and Kurt melted into it as he closed his eyes, both arms lifting up to go around Noah’s neck as he wondered how his life could possibly have gotten to be so very perfect.

 

~*~

 

“Sweetie, please just sit down,” Quinn said gently, reaching out towards Puck as he paced past her again.

“I saw him go in the ladies room a minute ago,” Mercedes spoke up suddenly then, making Puck look towards where she was sitting by Tina. “I’m sure he’s fine. Some jerk in his homeroom class shot spit wads at him and he had to get rid of some that got stuck in his hair.”

Puck sat down next to Quinn, sprawling in his seat as he tried to make himself relax. “Alright, if that’s all it is.”

Artie rolled in then with Mike and Matt right behind him, all three of them talking about how awesome it was that they had just gotten Azimio sent to the principal for hitting Mike right in front of Miss Pillsbury.

Puck tuned out the resulting gossip fest as he sat and watched the door, one foot tapping restlessly. He wanted to go find Kurt, wanted to make sure he was alright, but he was trying hard to behave himself. Every instinct was screaming at him that Kurt was alone out there without even the girls to keep the jocks from getting out of hand, but Kurt had made a point of telling him before school that he didn’t need Puck to be his bodyguard. He had threatened not to let Puck kiss him for a week if he didn’t do as he was told, so Puck had reluctantly agreed to let Kurt handle walking to class on his own.

Quinn reached over to take Puck’s hand silently, giving him a sweet little smile that was only a little amused, and Puck tried to smile back as he gave her hand a squeeze. “I’m okay, momma,” he murmured.

Quinn smiled a little wider, pulling Puck’s hand into her lap to hold it in both of her own hands as she said, “He’s okay, too. Just be patient. You know how he is about his hair.”

Puck smiled for real then, thinking about all the times he had caught hell for messing up Kurt’s hair, including that morning. He and Kurt had gotten kind of lost in kissing each other when they should have been leaving Kurt’s house, and Kurt had a fit when they finally parted and he noticed his beret was in the floor and Puck had messed up his hair.

Quinn squeezed Puck’s hand and he smiled at her before he went back to watching the door as they just sat there and waited for what seemed like an eternity to Puck.

Schue finally walked in, but there was still no sign of Kurt and everyone had slowly gotten quieter as Puck got more and more worried. Kurt was _never_ late to Glee, not for any reason, and every instinct was screaming at Puck that something must be very wrong as the minute hand on the clock moved with maddening slowness. Puck was kind of half aware of the others whispering about something, but he didn’t listen to them at all. He couldn’t really think about anything but worrying about Kurt and thinking that he was just going to have to make Kurt mad by following him around between classes, because this sitting and worrying shit was for the birds.

When the late bell rang, the music room fell so suddenly silent that Puck could hear everyone breathing. There was still no sign of Kurt, and after two minutes that seemed like forever, Puck let go of Quinn’s hand and jumped to his feet to start towards the door quickly. “I’m going after him.”

Schue moved quickly to grab Puck’s arm, turning him around as he pulled him to a stop. “Puck wait, just give him another minute. We all know how Kurt is about his hair. I’m sure he’ll get here soon.”

“There’s _something wrong_ ,” Puck said quickly, frowning at Schue as he waved to the rest of the room. “Everyone knows it as well as I do.” Puck glanced at the others, seeing the way Mercedes and Tina were clinging to each other looking scared, and how worried Rachel and Finn looked, and the obvious concern on Mike’s face as he fidgeted slightly, then Puck looked back at Schue. “Please, just let me go find him. He could be _hurt_.”

Schue sighed. “Puck, just try to be patient. I’m sure he’s just … spraying his hair, or whatever it is he does to it. Just wait, okay?”

“Mr Schue, I _promise_ we’ll come straight here as soon as I find him,” Puck said earnestly, praying Schue would give in so he wouldn’t have to just walk out anyway. He liked Schue, he really did, and he didn’t want to put Schue in the position he’d have to punish him for doing something that a teacher just couldn’t allow him to get away with.

“Kurt’s never late to _Glee_ ,” Tina pointed out, sounding worried as several others muttered, but Puck didn’t look towards them.

Schue sighed. “Puck, I can’t just—“

Mercedes suddenly blurted loudly, “Thank you, God!” Puck glanced at her in surprise as she slumped in her chair and added sharply, “Don’t scare us like that, Kurt!”

Puck turned towards the door quickly, staring at the way Kurt was leaning against Dean’s side as Dean held a protective arm around him. Kurt had a tiny little smile on his face but he was very pale and looked right on the edge of falling apart in a major way, and Puck was surprised to realize he wasn’t at all jealous of the way Dean was touching Kurt.

“We were getting worried, guys,” Schue said.

“I’m sorry,” Kurt said softly, his slight smile fading away as he looked down. “I was… unavoidably detained.”

Puck started quickly towards Dean and Kurt while the rest of the class fell silent behind him. “I was just about to come looking for you, babe. What happened?”

Puck watched as Dean took his arm from around Kurt and reached for Kurt’s books, murmuring gently, “Give me those, kiddo.”

Kurt blushed very red but he didn’t hesitate to let Dean have his things and then he moved into Puck’s arms, clinging to Puck as he said quietly, “Karofsky was being an ass, but Dean took care of it. I’m fine.”

Puck held Kurt close as he felt a surge of anger that made him want to beat someone to a bloody pulp, looking at Dean but trying very hard to not to let how furious he was show as he asked, “Where is that bastard?”

“On the way to the hospital if he knows what’s good for him.” Dean shifted Kurt’s things under one arm and moved closer, reaching out to put his free hand on Puck’s shoulder. “Don’t worry man, he won’t do it again.”

“Dean, just how badly did you hurt Karofsky?” Schue asked then, but Puck didn’t look at him even though Schue sounded pretty worried. “I know he picks on my kids, but he’s never really _hurt_ any of them.”

“He said he was going to beat me to death in the boys’ bathroom because I’m a fag,” Kurt said into Puck’s shirt then, and the roughened quality to his voice made it obvious that he was crying.

Puck made a low pained noise at the sudden fear that he felt, completely overwhelming the anger as his arms tightened around Kurt and he shuddered. Karofsky had been rough on Kurt for years, ever since sixth grade really, but the last few months had gotten much worse. If Karofsky had scraped together the guts to threaten Kurt’s life, then Karofsky probably would have at least _tried_ to kill him, which couldn’t end any way but badly for Kurt. As big and tough as Karofsky was, Kurt wouldn’t really have a prayer against him, even if he was fighting for his life. Puck could hold his own with Karofsky, sure, but Puck had been part of the local fight club for almost a year because he could hold his own with _anyone_ , one-on-one.

Puck heard some of the girls start crying behind him as Mercedes’ voice whispered brokenly, “Oh God.”

Brittany sounded scared and upset as she said quietly, “I hate when Kurt gets hurt. He’s my friend.”

“I know, baby,” Santana said, and Puck was a little surprised to hear she sounded upset too. He hadn’t thought she liked Kurt at all, but evidently he was wrong. “He’s going to be okay. Puck will take care of him.”

“Why’d you even go in the boys bathroom?” Finn asked suddenly, sounding upset. “Karofsky and Azimio _told you_ if they caught you in there they’d hurt you, and the girls don’t mind you using theirs.”

“He _dragged me_ in there, Finn,” Kurt replied without moving away from Puck, his voice still choked with tears as he clung to Puck like he was terrified to move away even an inch. “Then he threw me against the wall and said that someone would find my b-body later and everyone in school would know I finally got what I deserve.”

“Damn,” Schue murmured, and from the pained tone of his voice Puck was sure that it had finally sunk in just how much danger Kurt had been in.

“And that’s when I got there and put the worthless ass down,” Dean said firmly, his hand still on Puck’s shoulder. “He deserved what he got, Schue. It’s not like I beat him half to death or something, even though I wanted to. I only hit him twice.”

“Then why does he need a hospital?” Schue asked, sounding confused.

“He needs a few stitches,” Dean said, “and might have a concussion. He’s a klutz and he hit his head when he went down. He was bleeding some, but it wasn’t bad.”

“I should go make sure he’s alright,” Schue said reluctantly. “I can’t stand him, and it makes me _furious_ that he would threaten Kurt like that, but if he needs a doctor…”

“Karofsky’s got a hard head, Mr Schue,” Puck said sharply, looking over his shoulder at Schue. “I’m sure he’s done worse playing hockey.”

Schue looked into Puck’s eyes for a moment and then his gaze went to Kurt and his expression hardened as he nodded. “You know what? I’m sure you’re right, Puck. If Karofsky needs help, he can ask someone else.”

Puck turned his attention back to Kurt, ignoring the others as he kissed Kurt’s hair and murmured softly, “You’re okay now, baby. I’ve got you.”

Kurt sniffled and whispered, “But if Dean hadn’t come along...” He made a soft little noise that made Puck close his eyes in pain as Kurt’s arms tightened around him. “The way Karofsky _looked_ at me…” He shuddered, trailing off.

“I’m gonna kill him,” Puck said softly, still scared for Kurt but suddenly angrier than he could ever remember being before in his life. Even the night he had almost beaten Jesse to death was really no comparison. He was so furious that he was shaking with it, which was something he hadn’t ever really experienced before.

“No, you aren’t,” Dean said firmly, and Puck glared at him in surprise as Dean went on. “You need to take care of your boy, Puck, not worry about an ass I already kicked. I told you I had your back and I _do_. I took care of the guy.”

“Please listen to him,” Kurt said quickly, pulling away from Puck. Puck looked at Kurt and what he saw was worse than any punch he had ever taken, sending a stab of pain through him that shook him more than a little. Kurt’s blue eyes were reddened and shining with tears, his face blotchy from crying as he stared up at Puck with obvious fear. “Dean scared him badly enough that I think they’ll leave me alone now.”

Puck stared into Kurt’s eyes, sure that most of the fear he saw there was _for him_ , fear of what would happen to Puck if he lost control and did something stupid. Knowing that he was scaring Kurt put a damper on Puck’s anger as nothing else could have. “If he so much as touches you ever again, I’m gonna beat him down,” he said quietly after a moment, trying hard to control himself better. He hated scaring Kurt, hated seeing Kurt scared at all, and it was terrible knowing he had just done it.

“And I’ll let you, I promise,” Kurt said, trying to smile up at him despite the fear and worry lingering in his eyes. “Just, promise me you’ll let it go this time. Please? Dean took care of it.”

Puck stared into Kurt’s eyes for a few moments before he finally nodded, even though he was still fighting to put aside his anger. It was going to be hell to see Karofsky in the halls and not beat him down, but he could do it for Kurt. “I promise,” he murmured, giving Kurt a gentle squeeze as he glanced at Dean and added, “But I owe you.”

Dean smiled and gave Puck’s shoulder a squeeze. “No you don’t. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t look out for Kurt when you’re not around?”

“No, I do,” Puck said seriously, “whether you think so or not. I won’t forget it.”

“Teach me to play the guitar and we’ll call it even,” Dean said, giving him a reassuring smile that made Puck realize Dean was worried about him too. “Now c’mon, we’d better get to our seats before Schue has to go all teacher on us and tell us to sit down and shut up.”

“We should.” Kurt pulled away from Puck, taking Puck’s hand in both of his own to pull Puck towards the chairs. Puck followed silently, hating the ashamed way Kurt kept his gaze down on the floor as he moved, obviously embarrassed that he had cried. “Sorry about that, everyone. I’ll try to stop being such a drama queen now.”

“Don’t be sorry, Kurt,” Schue said quickly. “Take whatever time you need to get yourself back together. You’ve had quite a scare.”

Puck made Kurt stop when they reached the chairs, dropping into his usual seat by Quinn and then pulling Kurt into his lap without a word. Kurt held very still for a moment and then he relaxed into Puck’s arms, hiding his face against Puck’s throat as he breathed out so quietly Puck could barely hear him, “Thanks. I need this.”

Puck closed his eyes and took a slow shaky breath as he turned his head to press his lips against Kurt’s hair, holding Kurt gently as he breathed out almost silently, “Me too, baby.” He tried hard not to think about the way Kurt was trembling in his arms, vowing silently to himself never to let Kurt walk around alone ever again. He was going to catch hell for it, he was sure, but if he wasn’t watching Kurt’s back _someone_ would be, no matter what. He could take whatever punishment Kurt dished out for him being overprotective, but he couldn’t take losing Kurt to some homophobic asshole with the IQ of a turnip.

Puck heard Dean drop into Kurt’s usual seat, dropping his bag and Kurt’s things in the floor, and then Dean was stroking Puck’s back slowly in a way that reminded Puck a lot of how Carole had rubbed his back that morning while he cried on her shoulder. Puck shifted to hide his face against Kurt’s hair, feeling his cheeks heat up as he realized he was trembling too, and that Dean could probably feel that. It was embarrassing as hell, but it would have been even worse if it were anyone but Dean. He was somehow sure he could trust Dean not to use it against him. Dean already had plenty of ammunition against Puck if he wanted to hurt him, after all, and he hadn’t shown any sign that he might use it.

Quinn moved her chair closer to Puck’s other side then, sliding her arm around Puck’s waist as she whispered into his ear, “Just relax, honey. He’s okay. You’ve got him now and he’s safe.”

Puck just held Kurt and tried to relax like she had said, but the silence in the room was deafening and he couldn’t stop thinking about what might have gone down if Dean hadn’t happened to find Karofsky and Kurt. Thinking about it was making Puck shake more, and when he realized that he tried to put it out of his mind, concentrating on the way Quinn felt leaning against his side, and the feel of Dean’s strong hand slowly rubbing his back while Kurt was curled up in his lap, still trembling every once in a while.

Puck wasn’t quite sure why, but after a few moments he realized that having Kurt, Dean, and Quinn all touching him felt _right_ in a way he hadn’t ever really experienced before. It wasn’t sexual, not quite, but it was close and trying to figure it out was the distraction he needed because it let him calm down. He liked being with them, liked being able to _feel_ the three of them so close, and it made him wonder what was going on. He loved holding Quinn, and had for years, but he had never really wanted a guy to get so close until Kurt, so it was a surprise to him that he liked Dean touching him so much.

Puck suddenly remembered that first night they knew Dean and how right it had felt to be pressed up against Dean’s back with his arms pretty much around him, and he realized that he kind of wanted Dean to touch him a lot more. He felt his face heating up again, suddenly disgusted with himself. Kurt had nearly gotten _killed_ and there he was thinking about touching some other guy. There was no way he was doing it, not in a million years, but even _thinking_ about it was wrong as far as he was concerned. Kurt trusted him and he couldn’t betray that no matter how awesome Dean might be.

Quinn tightened her arm around Puck suddenly, whispering into his ear very softly, “Stop it, Noah. You’ve got him now, and he’s safe. He’ll be okay, sweetie.”

Kurt took a shaky breath and then lifted his head as he pasted on a smile and looked at Quinn, murmuring, “We’ll be fine.”

Quinn obviously didn’t believe him, but she forced a little smile, nodding. “I know.”

“Are you sure, Kurt?” Schue asked gently, and when Puck looked towards him in surprise he saw Schue was watching them from nearby, obviously very concerned about them.

Kurt turned to look at Schue too, blushing very red as he nodded. “Yes sir. If you don’t mind a little P.D.A., I think we should get started with today’s class.”

Schue nodded, looking around as he said, “No one minds, right guys?”

Puck looked around the room for the first time for the first time in a while, and he had to smile slightly at how concerned everyone was about Kurt. He knew their friends cared about them, of course, but seeing proof was always nice.

“Of _course_ no one minds,” Rachel said staunchly, looking around. “Right?”

“Right,” Santana said immediately, Brittany still in her arms looking sad and kind of scared as Santana looked pointedly at each of the boys in the class, daring them to argue.

Mike was the first to shake his head, which didn’t surprise Puck at all as Mike said quickly, “Don’t mind a bit.”

Mike had quietly had Kurt’s back a lot recently, and Puck was pretty sure it was because Tina had told Mike about the day Kurt took a punch for telling Azimio not to shove Tina around in the halls the way Azimio liked to shove Kurt around. Mike wasn’t the best big brother in the world, but he loved his little sister and anyone who protected her was automatically someone Mike liked. The fact Kurt was always sweet and friendly to Mike and had never hesitated to help Mike if he needed it just made sure that Mike was a little more determined to keep an eye out for Kurt if he could.

“They need each other right now,” Artie added quietly, making Puck look at him in surprise as he wondered if maybe Artie had finally forgiven him for the thing with the porta potty. It hadn’t been Puck’s idea, but he had been the ringleader after he was goaded into proving he wasn’t going gay like the guys had insisted Finn was. It wasn’t the only mean thing Puck had ever done to Artie, but that had been the worst and he knew it had been what made Artie kind of hate him for a while. Puck really couldn’t blame him. Puck hated how small and cramped the stinky porta potties behind the bleachers were, and he knew it had to be a hundred times worse if you were locked in one and couldn’t get out.

Puck looked towards Matt and Finn after a moment, a little surprised that they hadn’t said anything, but they were both obviously worried even though they looked uncomfortable. Finn was completely avoiding looking towards Puck and Kurt at all, and it made Puck wonder if Finn really was kind of homophobic like it seemed so much of the time. He never would have believed it, not of Finn, but the way Finn freaked out whenever Kurt got near him was starting to make him think it was possible. Finn’s behavior _wasn’t_ just because Finn was afraid Puck would hurt Kurt, no matter what Finn had said that morning. There was a lot more going on there, but Puck didn’t have the right to badger it out of Finn anymore so he was kind of at a loss as to what it might be.

Puck looked back towards Schue then and Schue said quickly, “Great. Let’s get started. I thought that today we could discuss Regionals and try to get a better idea of our set list together. We’ve got less than two weeks left to prepare, and after Friday I’d like us to concentrate only on the songs you’ll be doing in competition.”

Everyone started talking at once then, but Puck tuned them out as he looked at Kurt. Kurt gave him a little ghost of a smile and laid his head on Puck’s shoulder again, so Puck laid his cheek against Kurt’s hair and closed his eyes. Kurt wasn’t trembling anymore, which was good, but he was still holding tightly to Puck’s shirt and he wasn’t making any attempt to get away from him, so he knew Kurt still needed the comfort of being held.

Holding Kurt was something Puck could do, something he _needed_ to do if he was being completely honest with himself, so he let the conversation around them wash over him as he held Kurt close and tried to stop thinking about anything at all.

 

~*~

 

Kurt didn’t have any classes with Noah besides Glee and Political Science in sixth period, but that didn’t stop Noah from walking him to third and fourth period. Both times Kurt had found himself tensing up every time he saw a letterman jacket, though not for the reasons Noah probably was thinking. The memory of Karofsky grabbing Kurt and throwing him into the bathroom was still very fresh, yes, but the idea of what Noah would do if one of the jocks said something to them terrified Kurt. He could all too easily imagine the way Noah would lose it if anyone even _thought_ about hurting Kurt so soon after such a traumatic experience, and he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to stop Noah from doing something that would be sure to get him expelled, if not arrested.

Kurt was finally beginning to relax by lunch though, so of course he and Noah walked around a corner and nearly ran into Karofsky and Azimio.

Karofsky had a shaved patch of hair on his forehead, which was already heavily bruised with a freshly stitched gash about an inch long in the edge of his hair, and there was a band-aid on his neck. He looked kind of terrified when he met Kurt’s gaze and then he blurted quickly, “God, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to get near you.” He turned and went the other way as quickly as he could move through the crowded hallway, almost _running_ away while Azimio just stood and stared after him with a kind of _frightened_ expression.

“Follow your buddy, man, before I forget you weren’t involved this morning,” Noah growled, and a glance at him told Kurt that Noah seriously wanted to jump Azimio, even though Azimio hadn’t done anything to them. “Stick around and I’ll make what Dean did to Karofsky look like a fucking _love tap_.”

Kurt looked back towards Azimio as the big linebacker raised both hands and started backing quickly away. “I’m gone, Puckerman. We didn’t mean to get in your way.” He turned away and hurried off after Karofsky without another word.

Kurt glanced at Noah again, and he was amused by the surprised look on Noah’s face. “Noah?”

Noah looked at him, still obviously surprised as he murmured, “Just what exactly did Dean _do_ , babe?”

Kurt let out a soft little laugh, looking around them and then leading Noah by the hand to a nearby empty classroom. Once they were inside he closed the door and then said quietly, “Dean made him look like the bumbling oaf he is, Noah. Karofsky told him to walk away when he found us in the bathroom, but instead of leaving Dean threw down his bag and said to make him. Karofsky rushed him like he was playing football or something, and Dean sidestepped him like it was nothing and then punched Karofsky in the gut hard enough to double him over as he went by. Dean turned and kicked him right in the ass before Karofsky could recover, and sent Karofsky into the corner of the room hard enough to do that to his forehead and almost knock him out.” Kurt smiled suddenly, remembering how Dean had been acting then. “Dean was kind of _cheerful_ about it, and didn’t seem mad at all when he called Karofsky a few names and told him to leave everyone in Glee alone, but then Karofsky said that he and his buddies were going to kill Dean. That was when Dean lost his sense of humor and pulled the knife on him.”

Noah’s eyebrows went up at that. “Seriously? He has a _knife_?”

Kurt nodded, his smile disappearing again as he remembered the way Dean had looked and the tone of his voice after he pulled his knife. “A switchblade, and when he pulled it, he was…” He let out a soft little ghost of a laugh. “Dean was _scary_ , Noah. He told Karofsky that if he and his friends wanted to go after Dean that they could just bring it on because he wasn’t going to take shit off of anyone, no matter _how_ outnumbered he was. He said they might hurt him pretty bad, might even kill him, but he’d take some of them down with him, starting with Karofsky, because he doesn’t play fair when he’s outnumbered and it would take him less than a second to gut Karofsky.”

“Dude,” Noah murmured, obviously a little awed.

Kurt smiled slightly. “Karofsky said he wasn’t going to mess with anyone that would knife somebody, and then Dean asked about Karofsky’s buddies and put his knife to Karofsky’s throat. It drew blood, and when Dean showed him the bloody blade Karofsky _wet himself_ while Dean said that if any of Karofsky’s buddies mess with any of us gleeks, Dean will hold _Karofsky_ responsible because somebody told Dean he was the one behind it all.” Kurt paused a moment, looking down and surprised to realize he almost felt sorry for Karofsky as he said softly, “Karofsky kind of broke, then. He turned away to curl into the wall and I’m pretty sure he was crying when he promised that nobody would mess with us again.” He looked back up at Noah. “Dean wiped the blood off his knife on Karofsky’s shirt and then he and I left the bathroom to head for class.”

“Wow,” Noah said softly, looking kind of amazed. “I’ve beaten Karofsky down before, and I _talk_ about making him cry like a girl, but I’ve never actually _seen_ him do it, not even the time we were both smashed and I broke his arm for making Brit cry.”

“I know,” Kurt agreed quietly. “Dean… He was _frightening_. If I didn’t know how sweet he is, I would have been terrified by the time we walked out of there. Karofsky was so outclassed that it was _sad_.” Kurt paused and then added truthfully, “I’ve seen you fight, sweetheart, and there’s _no one_ around here that can take you one-on-one, but even you are no match for Dean. The way he moved…” Kurt shook his head. “I never saw anything like it, except maybe those cage-fighters Dad watches sometimes. Dean doesn’t play even a little bit, and something tells me he’s been in a _lot_ of fights where he needed that knife of his.”

Noah reached for Kurt’s hands, pulling him a little closer as he asked softly, “Are you trying to say you’re afraid of Dean, babe?”

Kurt didn’t even need to think about it before he shook his head. “Not at all.” He smiled. “I’m not anyone who _needs_ to be, and neither are you. It’s the bullies like Karofsky and Azimio that need to watch out for him. We’re perfectly safe with him, I’m sure of it.”

“I noticed you let him walk you to class with an arm around you,” Noah said softly, looking kind of curious.

Kurt blushed, looking down. “He could see how shook up I was, and I think he was just treating me like he treats Sam when he’s scared. He was really sweet to me, but he called me kiddo and I didn’t get the feeling he’s after me at all. He just, he _cares_ , and he could see I really needed somebody to make me feel safe again, so he put his arm around me and tried to make me laugh while he got me to where you were.” He looked up again, meeting Noah’s gaze. “Being with you was exactly what I needed, and he _knew_ that and helped me keep it together until I got to you.”

Noah suddenly looked kind of shy and pleased as he murmured, “You needed me?”

“I always need you, Noah,” Kurt whispered, feeling his face heat up again. “Nobody else can make me feel the way you do.”

Noah still looked shy as he looked down at their linked hands and admitted softly, “I need you too. I just don’t feel right unless you’re with me, and I’m tired of trying to hide it from you. I was going nuts today waiting for you in Glee, and I was panicking way before the bell, but the girls said that you had to get some spit wads out of your hair and told me to just sit down and be patient. _Everyone_ thought I was being silly, and I know how you are about your hair so I listened to them, but it was the hardest thing I’ve done in a long time. Then when you didn’t show by the bell… God.”

Noah closed his eyes, looking scared, and Kurt let go of Noah’s hands to reach for him, holding Noah’s face between his palms and making Noah look at him before he said softly, “It wasn’t your fault, Noah. _I’m_ the one who insisted that you shouldn’t walk me to my classes, so it it’s _anyone’s_ fault, it’s mine.”

“I was so scared somebody had hurt you, baby,” Noah whispered, leaning into Kurt’s touch as his hands settled on Kurt’s waist. “And then when Dean walked you into the room and you looked so scared and shaky...” He let out a soft pained noise. “If something happened to you because I wasn’t there to protect you, it would _kill_ me.”

“I won’t make you stay away anymore when you feel like you should be with me, I promise,” Kurt murmured, letting go of Noah’s face to put his arms around Noah’s neck instead as he moved closer. The pain and fear in Noah’s eyes made Kurt’s eyes sting a bit even as his heart leapt at the proof of how much Noah loved him. He was feeling pretty stupid about his declaration that morning that he didn’t need Noah to baby-sit him between classes, but he was feeling guilty too. He knew Noah blamed himself for what had happened, even though it was no one’s fault but Kurt’s. “I’m sorry I scared you like that.”

Noah’s arms slid around Kurt, pulling him closer as Noah hugged him, holding him close but obviously being careful not to hold him too tightly as Noah muttered near his ear, “Who would have thought _I’m_ the girl in this relationship, huh?”

Kurt laughed softly, he couldn’t help it. “Oh sweetie, you’re definitely _not_ the girl.”

Noah nuzzled Kurt’s ear as he murmured, “I dunno, babe. I started the day by bawling on your step-mom’s shoulder, and I wasn’t far from falling apart again in Glee, not to mention the way I kind of _still_ want to fall apart whenever I think about what would have happened if Dean hadn’t heard Karofsky threatening you.”

“That doesn’t make you the girl, sweetheart,” Kurt murmured gently, rubbing Noah’s back soothingly. “That just shows me how very strongly you feel about me, and about Carole. It’s a _good_ thing, and I love that you’re willing to let me see the real you now instead of the act you put on for the world.” Kurt pulled back enough to look at Noah, smiling as he moved one hand to gently stroke along Noah’s cheek and whispered, “I never liked Puck very much, but I’ve known for a long time that that’s not the _real_ you.”

Noah stared into Kurt’s eyes for a moment before he asked softly, “What am I really like, then?”

Kurt didn’t hesitate to answer, smiling a little wider. “The real you is the gentle, loving, _beautiful_ young man I fell in love with months ago when you followed me to my car one afternoon and apologized for everything you ever did to me and a few things I’m quite sure you did to other people.”

Noah let out a tiny little laugh, blushing. “Probably.”

Kurt smiled and leaned up to kiss Noah softly, then murmured, “You were so sweet and adorable that day, it was all I could do not to let you see how much I wanted to kiss you. That’s when I realized the difference between the real Noah and the badass Puck persona you show the world. I was sure that if I could convince you that you could trust me enough to let me see the real you a little more often it would change my life, and I was right.”

“That’s why you started helping Quinn so much,” Noah said softly, his eyes widening. “You took her to Lamaze the first time the next afternoon, but I never really connected it.”

Kurt felt his face heating up as he admitted, “Yes, it is. I knew she was important to you, both because you’ve been best friends since kindergarten and because of Beth, and I hoped that if I could become friends with her, that would get me closer you.”

Noah smiled crookedly. “Quinn decided to spend more time with you for pretty much the same reason. She knew I liked you, and she thought that if you and she got close, she could get you to talk to me.”

“I should be surprised, but I’m not,” Kurt said, amused. “She loves you very much, you know. She says you’re the best friend she ever had.”

“I feel the same way about her,” Noah admitted, sheepish. “I just didn’t really understand that until it was too late, and by then I had already fucked up her life, literally.”

“I know you do,” Kurt agreed. “I do pay attention.” He swatted Noah very gently on the back of the shoulder, adding, “But I’m very tired of hearing you say you screwed up her life. You didn’t, you just helped her make a mistake because you _both_ confused the epic way you love each other for something else. It’s not going to be the end of the world, sweetheart. She’s already a better person because of the last eight months, and I’m very sure that being a mom won’t kill her, no matter how much she hates the idea.”

“She doesn’t want Beth at all, though,” Noah said quietly, looking down as his expression grew sad. “I’m pretty sure she’s going to give her away.”

“I am too,” Kurt said gently, hating the way Noah flinched. He ducked his head to catch Noah’s eye as he said quietly, “But don’t give up hope, Noah. Just because she doesn’t want Beth doesn’t mean _you_ will lose your little girl. I’ve got a plan, but I haven’t had a chance to put it into action yet, so for now you’re just going to have to trust me, okay?”

Kurt had been thinking about it in homeroom that morning, in fact, which was why he hadn’t noticed George shooting the spit wads at him. He had been trying subtly for quite some time to convince Quinn to keep Beth for Noah’s sake, and he knew he had made a lot of progress, but he hadn’t been able to answer one last problem for her so they had been at an impasse for the last few weeks. If Quinn kept Beth _someone_ would have to watch her during the day, and with Quinn and Noah both in school and Nancy unwilling to have Beth around unless she was raised Jewish, there was no one to do that unless one of them dropped out. Noah would gladly drop if it meant keeping Beth, Kurt had no doubt of that, but he also knew that Quinn refused to let Noah do that and waste his chance at making something of himself. Quinn didn’t want her child grow up in daycare like she had done, even if she could somehow afford it, so she didn’t think she _could_ keep Beth.

Kurt had reluctantly agreed until he was sitting in homeroom that morning pretending to listen to the teacher and suddenly remembered months ago when he and Carole had been getting to know each other. Carole had been very upset about Quinn being pregnant, but when she had found out Quinn was having _Noah’s_ baby and not Finn’s, she had been devastated enough that Kurt had coaxed her to talk about it over cappuccino before an afternoon of retail therapy. Carole had cried while she told him that she couldn’t have kids after she had Finn, but she had always wanted more so badly that she had been kind of looking forward to a grandbaby to take care of while Quinn and Finn were in school.

Kurt had put it out of his mind and forgotten about it because back then Noah and Quinn were his two least favorite people, but when he remembered it in homeroom that morning he had felt like a fool for ever forgetting it. He had realized suddenly sitting there in World Geography that he might be able to make _everyone_ happy, if he handled it just right. Carole had made it obvious at breakfast that she completely forgave Noah, and he thought that if he sat Carole down and explained everything to her she would want to help almost as badly as he did. He was _sure_ Carole wouldn’t like the thought of Beth being raised by strangers. Carole was a big believer in family, and Noah was obviously part of her family, even if she hadn’t quite forgiven Quinn completely yet.

Noah stared into Kurt’s eyes, surprised and slowly starting to look a little hopeful. “You think you can get her to change her mind?”

“I have a plan,” Kurt repeated. “That’s a lot more than Quinn has right now, and I know she loves you very much. She doesn’t _want_ to hurt you, sweetheart, that’s why she hasn’t signed any paperwork agreeing to give Beth up, but she’s _terrified_ of being responsible for a baby all the time. I think if I can give her a way to avoid _both_ things, she’s going to listen to me.”

Noah smiled slightly, looking kind of amazed as he asked softly, “What do you have planned, babe?”

“You let me worry about that for now,” Kurt murmured, smiling. “I’ll tell you everything soon, I promise. I need to make sure of a few things before I say any more.”

Noah stared into Kurt’s eyes for a moment longer and then nodded. “Okay.”

“Thank you,” Kurt murmured, leaning to kiss Noah and then letting out a low pleased hum at the way Noah responded. He loved the way Noah was kissing him, every move making it obvious he wasn’t doing it to get into Kurt’s pants, and he was glad to relax into just enjoying the simple pleasure of kissing him and being held. It made Kurt feel very loved and wanted, and it was easy for him to get lost in it until the cell phone in his back pocket started vibrating suddenly in the staggered pulse pattern that meant he had an incoming call. He ended the kiss with a low groan then, letting his forehead fall to rest against Noah’s shoulder as he muttered, “Every time.”

Noah chuckled softly and patted Kurt’s hip lightly. “Answer the phone, baby. Mercedes is probably worried ‘cause we didn’t show for lunch.”

Kurt sighed and nodded, reaching for his phone and then impulsively turning to lean back against Noah’s muscular body as he accepted the call and put the phone to his left ear. “Yes, Mercedes,” he said dryly, “I _was_ kissing my boyfriend, but you’ll be happy to know you put a stop to that.”

Noah wrapped his arms around Kurt and took a slow deep breath with his nose pressed to Kurt’s hair near his beret, which made Kurt blush slightly as he realized Noah was _smelling_ him. And, he realized a moment later as he felt the unmistakable shape of Noah’s slowly firming erection twitch against his ass, Noah definitely liked it. The knowledge that Noah was getting hard just from holding him and smelling his hair made Kurt shiver slightly as he shifted against Noah, pressing back against him a little more.

Mercedes was quiet a moment longer and then she said sheepishly, “I wasn’t calling to harass you this time, I swear. Tina said you didn’t show up for lunch yet, so I was worried about you.”

“Noah thought you probably were, which is why I answered the phone,” Kurt agreed. His own arousal was making his tight jeans start to feel rather uncomfortable, but he was enjoying the way it felt to stand in the circle of Noah’s arms with Noah nuzzling his right ear and Noah’s perfect body against his too much to pull away. “I wasn’t planning to eat in the cafeteria, unless you simply _must_ see me. I thought Noah and I would go grab something from Sonic and eat in his truck.”

“I was calling because I’m at Sonic now with Quinn, Mike, and Matt,” Mercedes said then, sounding pleased. “I thought we could bring you and your boy something, if you want.”

Noah switched sides of Kurt’s neck to put his mouth near the phone as he said quietly, “Super Sonic cheese burger with mayo and bacon, Aretha, and some cheddar poppers. Thanks.”

“Tell Puckerman he’s welcome,” Mercedes said quickly, sounding pleased.

“Puckerman can hear you,” Noah said with a soft chuckle.

Kurt turned his head to look at Noah, amused as Mercedes asked in surprise, “You put the phone on speaker?”

Noah smirked slightly at Kurt as he answered Mercedes, “No, I’m just close enough to Kurt that I can hear the phone. He told you we were _busy_.”

“Oh,” Mercedes said faintly, and then she let out a little laugh. “Oh! Uhm, yeah. Okay then!” She sounded like she was very happy about that idea, which made Kurt smile a little wider as he felt a rush of love for her. She could be a bit trying on his patience sometimes, but Mercedes really loved him and she was always glad to see him happy. “I’ll let you two go back to… what you were doing.” She paused and then added, “And I’m _really_ happy for you, Kurt.”

“You didn’t find out what Kurt wants for lunch,” Noah pointed out quickly then, smirking a little more and looking amused.

Kurt elbowed Noah gently with a soft little laugh as he looked away again, blushing and sure that Mercedes was thinking about the fact Kurt had decided he was waiting to have sex until he was sure he was in love. “And we weren’t doing _that_ , Mercedes. He’s just messing with your mind.”

“I knew that,” Mercedes said just a hair too quickly, and then let out a little snort of a laugh. “But he’s right, you didn’t tell me what you want for lunch and Mike is almost ready to head back, so what are you hungry for, sweetie? Besides Puckerman.”

Kurt blushed at that but he managed not to laugh, though just barely. “I’d like a grilled—“

“—Chicken sandwich,” Noah went on for him, “the one on the wheat bun, and he wants it with mayo and cheese, and a side of mozzarella sticks with lots of extra marinara.” Kurt turned his head and just stared at Noah, kind of surprised that Noah knew his favorite order so well as Noah added with a smirk, “And a Route 44 cherry limeade for us to share, with triple extra cherries because they’re his favorite.”

Kurt did laugh softly then. “Yes, please.”

Mercedes giggled. “That’s so _sweet_.”

“Yes, it is,” Kurt agreed with a wide happy smile. “Now go order our lunch so I can go back to kissing my sweet wonderful boyfriend.”

“Tell me where to find you when we get back with your food and then I will,” Mercedes said quickly, sounding amused.

“We’ll come out to the parking lot,” Noah said quickly, grinning.

“Cool, we were going to eat out there anyway,” Mercedes said, amused. “See you then.”

“Okay,” Kurt agreed, then took his phone away from his ear and turned it off with his thumb, turning back towards Noah as he slipped his phone back into his back pocket. He lifted his hands and draped his arms around Noah’s neck as he whispered, “Now where were we?”

“Right here, baby,” Noah purred softly, leaning in to kiss him with a pleased little smirk.

Kurt melted closer to Noah with a soft happy hum as he kissed back, loving the way Noah made him feel and wondering again what he had done to deserve such an awesome boyfriend.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

 

 

Kurt and Puck were almost to the Ranger when Puck noticed something and chuckled. Dean was stretched out on the Impala’s hood in the shade, leaning back against the windshield with his arms folded against his chest and his eyes closed. “Somebody’s taking a page out of my book, looks like,” Puck said, amused that Dean was out in the parking lot alone instead of in the cafeteria trying to pick up a girl or something.

Kurt looked at him in surprise then and Puck nodded towards Dean’s Impala, which was pulled in next to the Ranger so the Impala was facing towards the field house instead of the school like the Ranger was. Kurt looked at the Impala and then he laughed softly and said, “He should probably be doing his Trig homework, not _sleeping_.”

Dean _looked_ like he was sound asleep, but when Kurt said that Dean murmured just loud enough for them to hear him, “I’m waitin’ on my lunch, and my homework is done, _Mom_. Quinn even checked it to make sure I did it right.”

Kurt laughed softly as Puck led the way towards the back of the Ranger, and Kurt waited until they stopped to tease, “If I was your mom I’d be lecturing you quite a bit more often, Dean, and about much more than your homework.”

Dean snickered, opening his eyes as he turned his head to look at them. “Probably.” He looked them both over and then asked, “What’re you two doin’ out here, anyway? Plannin’ to skip?”

Puck grinned as he dropped the tailgate on his pickup. “Kurt would never go for it, man. We’re just waiting for Mercedes to bring back our lunch.” He looked at Kurt and saw the dubious look Kurt was giving the tailgate, then snickered and murmured, “Just hold still a minute, babe.”

Kurt looked at him quickly, a little sheepish and amused. “Okay.”

Dean grinned and sat up. “Quinn’s bringing me a burger and some rings.”

Puck moved to the driver’s side door, opening it and reaching in behind the seat for the throw blanket he kept there as he said cheerfully, “I like the cheddar poppers better, myself.”

“They’re great,” Dean agreed. “I was just in the mood for rings. I had a couple orders of peppers with my breakfast burrito.”

Puck snickered as he carried the blanket back to the tailgate. “That’d do it,” he agreed, shaking out the blanket and then putting it on the tailgate before he looked at Kurt with a smile. “Now you can have a seat, babe.”

Kurt moved to put his hands against Puck’s chest instead, giving him a sweet smile as he murmured, “I love how sweet you are to me.”

Puck felt his face heating up but he smiled wider and when Kurt leaned towards him for a kiss, Puck met him halfway as his hands settled on Kurt’s hips. Kurt hummed softly into his mouth, stepping even closer as his hands slid up and around to the back of Puck’s neck, making him growl softly at the way Kurt’s fingers trailed through his mohawk.

Kurt seemed to enjoy it because he had been playing with Puck’s hair pretty much every time they kissed, but Puck wasn’t about to complain if Kurt wanted to make that a habit. No one had ever really played with Puck’s hair until Kurt started doing it, and Puck was still a little surprised each time by how much he liked it. He loved the way Kurt’s fingers felt against his scalp, lingering as Kurt stroked through the short hair of his ‘hawk or lightly over the soft roughness of the stubble around it. It didn’t feel anything like when Puck touched his own head, which, okay, wasn’t something he did trying to get off on it or anything, but still. His fingers in his hair didn’t do anything for him, but something about the way Kurt did it made him want to push Kurt against the nearest reasonably comfortable surface and kiss him until they were both gasping for air.

“I’m glad you two got your shit together,” Dean said suddenly, sounding amused. “You look great together, and a blind man could tell you’re crazy about each other.”

Kurt laughed slightly into the kiss and pulled away, blushing and not looking at Puck or Dean as he moved to sit on the tailgate. “Thank you, Dean,” Kurt said primly, despite his blush.

Puck moved to sit by Kurt, glancing towards the sound of Mike’s beat-up Trans-Am pulling into the parking lot and then looking over at Dean with a grin as he teased, “So you had fun watchin’ us, huh? Should I worry?”

Dean grinned. “I’m not gonna jump you, if that’s what you’re scared of, but I’m not blind either.” Mike pulled into the parking place on the other side of the Ranger and Dean hopped off the hood of his Impala, moving past Kurt and Puck as he added more softly, “Just keep it to yourselves.” He winked at Puck and Kurt on his way by, heading for the Trans-Am’s passenger side to help Quinn out of the car.

Puck smirked. “Sure, Deano.”

Dean laughed and glanced at Puck, then Puck watched as Dean opened the door for Quinn, who was still wearing Puck’s letterman jacket that she had stolen from him even before they got to school that day. Dean offered Quinn his arm to help her out of the car, and Puck smiled at the grateful look on her face, turning back towards Kurt.

Kurt was watching him with a thoughtful expression, and Puck leaned a little closer as he asked softly, “What?”

Kurt smiled, shaking his head slightly as he whispered. “Not now, sweetheart.” He leaned in to kiss Puck lovingly, then teased, “I’m sure Mercedes would appreciate help carrying our lunch.”

Puck laughed. “As hints go, babe, that was pretty close to a clue-by-four.” He kissed Kurt lightly again, mostly because he could, and then obediently hopped off the tailgate to walk around the Trans-Am and go help Mercedes.

Even a few months ago Puck would have bristled angrily at anyone he dated telling him what to do, but his short-lived relationship with Mercedes had taught him fast that he’d be better off doing what she said. Kurt wasn’t as likely to try and kick his ass as Mercedes had been – she had hit Puck on more than one occasion, and actually kicked him in the ass once – but doing things for Kurt was even more rewarding than making Mercedes happy had been. Puck had been Mercedes’ first boyfriend and she hadn’t quite trusted him enough to actually do anything more than an occasional kiss, mostly on the cheek.

Kurt _did_ trust Puck though, even _loved_ him, which made Puck feel ten feet tall every time he heard it, and Puck had found himself _wanting_ to do things for Kurt. He loved seeing the way Kurt would smile happily at him with that look in his eyes like Puck was the most awesome thing he had ever seen. He would do almost anything to get Kurt to look at him like that, so helping Mercedes with lunch wasn’t much at all to ask. He liked Mercedes, and he kind of liked being a guy that people welcomed with a smile instead of a wary look like he used to get, even from his friends.

Mercedes looked at Puck in surprise when he reached for the three bags she was trying to balance so she could get out of the car, then she grinned and passed them over. “Thanks, Puck.”

Puck grinned at her. “No problem, Aretha. What happened to the drinks?”

“I got ‘em,” Matt said on the other side of the car, making Puck look over at him as Matt gave him an easy, cheerful smile. “Her hands were full.”

“And my lap,” Mercedes added with a laugh, getting out of the car as Puck stepped back to make more room. Mercedes hung her purse on her shoulder and then took back two of the three bags Puck was holding, letting him keep one of the two larger bags as she added, “That one is for you and Kurt anyway.”

Puck grinned at her. “Cool. Thanks.” He kissed her cheek without really thinking about it and then headed back around the Trans-Am towards the Ranger’s tailgate as he added, “Let me know what I owe you.”

“Nah, it’s on me,” Mercedes said quickly, and a glance back at her told Puck she was following him. “Kurt’s always buying me lunch, it’s the least I can do.”

“Whatever,” Puck agreed easily enough, sure he’d get the opportunity to return the favor sooner or later. It wasn’t like she was hurting for money anyway, so he didn’t mind letting her pay sometimes. Her dad was a dentist and her mom was a lawyer, and both parents spoiled her rotten because they were so proud of her singing. Her mother was a confirmed shopaholic and encouraged Mercedes to be the same way, and Mercedes’ dad wasn’t willing to argue with either of them about it. Mercedes always had plenty of cash in her purse, not to mention the two credit cards she had for ‘shopping emergencies’.

Dean and Quinn were by the Ranger’s tailgate, and Kurt had scooted over to make more room next to him on the blanket and was watching Quinn turn to back up against the tailgate. “Be careful, sweetie,” Kurt said, looking concerned. “Don’t hurt yourself getting up here.”

Dean stepped in close to Quinn suddenly then and reached for her waist to pick her up, making her let out a surprised little squeak as he set her up on the tailgate next to Kurt. “I could have gotten up here without help, Dean,” Quinn said quickly, blushing.

Dean grinned at Quinn, looking kind of pleased with himself. “Yeah, but it’s fun makin’ you squeak like that.”

Quinn giggled and swatted his chest lightly. “Oh shut up.”

“Be glad to,” Dean agreed with a smirk, “as soon as I find out who has my lunch. I’m starvin’.”

“I’ve got it, Dean,” Mercedes said with a laugh, moving to offer Dean the smaller of the two bags she was carrying. “Your change is inside.”

Dean grinned at her as he took the bag. “Thanks for savin’ me some gas.”

Mercedes laughed. “You’re welcome.” She moved to hop up on the tailgate by Quinn, shifting to sit sideways and then reaching into her bag to start getting out their lunch as she added, “Next time you can play chauffeur.”

“Works for me,” Dean agreed easily enough, taking a burger out of his bag and then opening it up to start eating.

Puck moved past the others to stand by Kurt as he opened their bag, taking out Kurt’s mozzarella sticks as he smiled at him. “Mozzy sticks first, right babe?” He hadn’t really taken Kurt out anywhere to eat yet, not even Sonic, but they had gone with their friends often enough for lunch that he was pretty sure he was right. Kurt always got the same thing for lunch if everyone ate at Sonic, and always ate his mozzarella sticks first while they were hot.

Kurt smiled happily and nodded as he reached out to take the bag of mozzarella sticks. “Please.”

Puck grinned and dug out a container of marinara, opening it and then passing it to Kurt as he teased gently, “Go easy on this stuff, Mercedes only got you four of them.”

Kurt giggled and looked over at Mercedes, beaming. “Thanks, ‘Cedes.”

Mercedes leaned to grin past Quinn, looking pleased. “Anytime.”

Puck noticed then that Mike was already gone, and that Matt was standing near Mercedes patiently waiting for her to notice he had a caddy full of drinks, which made him laugh. “Matt, dude, just tell her to take the drinks.”

Matt smiled at Puck. “I can wait.”

Mercedes looked at Matt quickly, looking almost shy as she reached out to take the caddy full of drinks and murmured, “Sorry Matt, I forgot.”

“It’s okay,” Matt said quickly, taking his own drink out of the caddy and giving Mercedes a sweet, shy little smile as he blushed. “I didn’t mind.”

Puck grinned at that and took one of his cheddar poppers out of the bag he was still holding, taking a bite so he wouldn’t be tempted to say anything. He was sure Matt would do just about anything if Mercedes asked him to, but he didn’t want to point it out. Matt had been nursing a crush on her for most of a year, but the guy was so shy that he hadn’t ever gotten up the nerve to do anything about it.

Mercedes was kind of awesomely impressive, but she was also very opinionated and not the least bit shy, and Puck knew she kind of intimidated Matt even though Matt thought she was pretty close to perfect. He had heard Matt and Mike talking about Matt’s crush on her once in the weight room during athletics, while Mike tried to convince Matt to ask her out. Puck had been kind of amazed to hear Matt talk so much, but he had felt kind of privileged, too, because Matt had known he was listening. Matt didn’t really talk to many people, and Puck kind of liked knowing he was somebody Matt trusted enough to talk about something so personal in front of him.

Mercedes gave Matt a happy smile as she murmured, “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Matt said quickly, still blushing as he fidgeted slightly and then added, “Mike’s got my lunch. I said I’d eat with him and Sam, so…”

Mercedes smiled a bit wider and nodded. “Have fun.”

Matt smiled back and nodded, then turned and walked quickly towards the school without another word.

Quinn waited until Matt was well out of earshot before she murmured teasingly to Mercedes, “ _Somebody_ has a crush.”

Mercedes jerked around to stop watching Matt walk away, her eyes widening a bit as she whispered furiously. “God, don’t tell him!”

Quinn giggled at that as Kurt reached over past her and patted Mercedes’ knee. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us, sweetie.”

“I figured she was talkin’ about him, myself,” Dean said suddenly, making Puck look towards him to see Dean was grinning with a half-eaten burger in one hand, the rest of his lunch still in the bag he was holding in his other hand. “The guy’s obviously got it bad.”

“He so does not,” Mercedes said quickly, and when Puck looked back at her he saw she looked kind of annoyed, giving Dean a frown.

Dean snorted, amused. “Whatever you need to tell yourself, Aretha.” He took another bite of his sandwich, munching like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“I kind of have to agree with Dean,” Quinn said quietly then, and Puck looked over to watch her and Mercedes as he reached into the bag he was holding to take out his burger. Mercedes was staring at Quinn as Quinn added with a sweet little smile, “He _does_ actually talk to you, Mercedes. I don’t know any other girl he does that with except Brit, and I think he mostly talks to her because she doesn’t give him much choice.”

Kurt giggled softly, swirling the last bite of a mozzarella stick in the little container of marinara sauce he was holding, which Puck noticed was already almost gone. “Brit doesn’t understand shy, not even a little bit.”

Dean snickered, swallowing quickly. “Sometimes I wonder if Brit understands _English_.”

Quinn giggled. “Dean!”

Dean grinned at her. “What?! I’m not being _mean_ , just telling the truth. She’s sweet as can be and I like her, but the girl’s got the IQ of a Cocker Spaniel.”

“It’s still not nice to say it,” Quinn said with a soft laugh.

“No matter how true it may be,” Kurt added with a little giggle, taking the Sonic bag from Puck to get out another container of marinara.

“Eh, I never did get the whole polite lies thing,” Dean said with a shrug, digging into his sandwich again.

“Neither did Kurt,” Mercedes said with a snicker.

Kurt put the bag behind him on the blanket in the truck bed as he said cheerfully, “My Dad taught me honesty is always the best policy, unless of course he’s asking how my day was at school. Then he wants me to lie so we can both pretend that dropping out wouldn’t be better for my health.”

Puck snorted, swallowing a bite of bacon cheeseburger to say firmly, “School better not be dangerous for you anymore, babe. If I see so much as a bruise, I’m gonna want to know who did it and when.”

Kurt looked at Puck, amused. “I have lots of bruises, and I’m not going to tell you where every single one of them came from.” Puck scowled at that and then Kurt added dryly, “I bruise so easily that half the time I don’t know.”

Puck blinked, surprised. “Seriously?”

Kurt nodded, blushing just a bit. “Yes, seriously. I have some on my thigh right now that I think might even be your fault, from when you picked me up on stage. They rather look like finger marks, and I don’t remember anyone else touching me there.”

“Well damn,” Puck said, surprised and unhappy at the thought he had been hurting Kurt. “Why didn’t you tell me I was hurting you?”

“That’s my _point_ , sweetheart,” Kurt said with a wry smile. “I _love_ the way you touch me, and it most certainly does _not_ hurt, but sometimes there will be evidence, I’m sure. I’ve bruised myself by dropping my _phone_ on my leg before.”

“That’s just crazy,” Mercedes said with a soft laugh.

“But true,” Kurt said, amused. “It’s just how it is. They don’t hurt usually, so it’s not so bad. Dad used to freak out whenever he saw me with bruises when I was little, but he finally realized they just happen.”

“My sister’s like that,” Quinn said, amused. “She got in so much trouble in high school because her boyfriend was always giving her hickeys. Most people would just get a red spot that went away in an hour or two, but hers were always purple things that stayed for days.”

Kurt looked surprised and then looked at Puck. “Sweetheart, try not to leave any marks where Dad might see them. He wouldn’t like that, at least not yet.”

Puck laughed. “He’d _shoot_ me, you mean.”

Kurt looked amused and just a little sheepish. “It’s a possibility. I don’t know where he keeps the ammunition for his shotgun, so I can’t hide it from him.”

“Sounds like somebody’s gonna be diggin’ rock salt out of his ass,” Dean said then, snickering.

Kurt looked at Dean, laughing suddenly. “Bird shot. Dad says it hurts more, but it can’t kill anyone as long as he doesn’t shoot them point blank or in the face.”

Dean smirked at Puck. “Sucks to be you, man.”

Puck just stared at Dean a moment, amused despite himself at the way Quinn, Mercedes, and Kurt were all giggling. “The scary thing is I kinda think you’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Dean said smugly, “I’m always right.” He took another bite of his burger, smirking.

Puck snorted, grinning. “You wish.”

Dean snickered, nodding without saying anything as Kurt giggled and said, “Eat your lunch, Noah. You’ll never finish if you don’t start eating soon.”

“ _Yes dear_ ,” Puck said teasingly, lifting his burger to take another bite.

Kurt reached over to swat Puck’s chest lightly, laughing. “Shut up, you.”

Puck just grinned and munched on his sandwich, sure Kurt was enjoying the teasing. Kurt’s eyes were sparkling and bright with happiness and had a definite warmth in them that Puck was sure was love, so he was sure Kurt couldn’t possibly be annoyed at him for real.

After all the things Puck had done wrong, it made his world a brighter place every time he could put that look in Kurt’s beautiful blue eyes.

 

~*~

 

Kurt linked his arm with Quinn’s as they left the auditorium, and she gave him a bright happy smile as she suddenly said, “We should have a movie night at your house, Kurt. Nancy doesn’t have to work so Puck and I don’t have Sarah to worry about, and it’ll be fun to just hang out and relax.”

Kurt smiled at Quinn, pleased that she had made the suggestion. “Sounds fun!”

Kurt had been thinking the same thing, but he hadn’t been sure how to bring it up because Noah usually complained about their movie nights. Kurt and Quinn had a similar taste in movies, but neither of them were particularly fond of the blood and guts action movies Noah loved best. Every time they let Noah pick the movie on their movie night, they ended up watching something like ‘ _Reign of Fire’_ or ‘ _Independence Day’_ , both of which were Noah’s idea of a good compromise between ‘badass movies’ and ‘chick flicks’. Most Will Smith movies fell into that murky middle ground category, which was fine with Kurt because he adored Will, as did the ‘ _Lethal Weapon’_ movies and other funny action movies like them, so they could usually find something that they could all enjoy.

Kurt usually liked the movies Noah chose as long as Noah was careful to keep to movies where the violence wasn’t too terrible, but he tried very hard to avoid any movie that Noah considered to be truly ‘badass’. The one time Noah had convinced Kurt and Quinn to watch a movie that fit that description, Quinn had slept through most of the movie, but Kurt had been cringing half the movie and hiding behind his hands. He had been troubled with violent, bloody nightmares for nearly a week before they went away, and he still had to fight the urge to turn and run if he happened to see anyone dressed like a biker that looked mean.

Noah was walking next to Kurt with his hands in his pockets, and Noah chose then to bump his shoulder gently against Kurt’s. Kurt looked at Noah, taking in the curiosity in Noah’s expressive hazel eyes and then trying to hide how hopeful he was as he asked, “What do you think?”

Noah looked amused. “I don’t want to watch a chick flick, but if you two can pick something that won’t make me want to gouge my eyes out, I’m in.”

Kurt beamed at Noah. “Wonderful.” He looked over his shoulder towards Dean, who had followed them out of the auditorium, and asked, “Did you have plans for tonight, Dean?”

Dean blinked, looking kind of surprised, and Kurt wondered if it had somehow escaped Dean’s notice that the three of them liked Dean’s company quite a bit. “I— No, not really. Sam has a thing with the debate club, and then he’s gonna have dinner and study with some girl. Why?”

“Would you like to hang out with us?” Quinn asked before Kurt could, smiling as she let go of Kurt and turned to take Dean’s arm instead. “Give me someone to cuddle with during the movie, maybe?” She grinned impishly. “I think Puck’s lap will be full.”

Dean smiled at that, even though his eyebrows lifted and he looked fairly surprised. “Sure, if you want.”

Quinn beamed happily and said firmly, “Then it’s settled. Now what movie are we going to watch?”

“If anyone so much as _hints_ at ‘ _Rent’_ , I am gone,” Noah said with a soft laugh.

Kurt looked back at Noah, grinning as he teased, “You _can’t_ take off. You gave me a ride to school this morning, remember?”

Noah laughed again and then said quickly, “Oh, I’ll take you home, but if I hear _one word_ of that damned minutes song I’m gonna bolt. I had it stuck in my head for freaking _days_ after the last time you _ladies_ talked me into watching it with you.”

Kurt’s grin widened just a bit as he stopped, turning to face Noah and reaching into Noah’s jacket pocket before he started to back away as he said, “You know, there’s something you _really_ should know about me, Noah.”

Noah just watched Kurt, surprised but obviously amused. “And what’s that, babe?”

Kurt smirked wickedly. “I am _so_ not a lady.” He turned away as he lifted his hand with the keys to wave them over his shoulder, rattling them as he walked quickly towards the Ranger. “And I’m driving.”

Quinn giggled and then Kurt heard her tease Noah quietly, “Something tells me that you just might get a surprise when you finally talk Kurt out of those skinny jeans you like looking at so much.”

Noah sounded a bit surprised as he said, “Dude.”

Kurt bit his lip at the idea of _him_ being the top in his relationship with Noah, careful not to look back towards Noah. He knew if he did he wouldn’t be able to keep from giggling. He wasn’t averse to the idea, by far, but he had no illusions about how likely it was to happen. Noah had been having sex with women for a long time, and Kurt was very sure that Noah would be more comfortable taking the dominant role.

Dean snickered and said, “Don’t worry, man, you’ll be fine. He can dance.”

Quinn giggled again. “Very well, even.”

“Dude!” Noah repeated, sounding shocked as Dean and Quinn both started laughing.

Kurt opened the driver’s door of the Ranger, glancing towards Noah as he moved to get in and then just stopping to stare, his eyes going wide. Noah looked kind of amazed and more than a little turned on, and Kurt realized suddenly that Noah wasn’t surprised so much by the idea of Kurt topping as he was surprised that _he liked the idea_. Kurt realized his tight jeans were suddenly getting a lot tighter, and he blushed because he was sure that Noah could tell just how much he liked the idea of topping with Noah even with the Ranger’s door blocking Noah’s view of his crotch.

Noah stared into Kurt’s eyes for a moment longer and then suddenly he was walking quickly towards the passenger side of the Ranger as he said, “We so have to talk, babe.”

Kurt let out a breathy little laugh and agreed faintly, “So I gather.”

Dean snickered again then, and Kurt looked towards the sound to see Dean was opening the passenger door of the Impala for Quinn. Dean smirked at Kurt over the car, hazel-green eyes sparkling and wicked as he teased, “Break him in easy, kiddo. He thought he was straight for a long time.”

Kurt let out a strangled laugh. “Dean!”

Quinn giggled and poked Dean in the side. “Get in the car, you ass!”

Dean snickered and moved around the Impala to get in, leaving the passenger door for Quinn to close.

Kurt got into the Ranger and put the keys in the ignition, ignoring the sound of Dean firing up the Impala as he looked shyly over at Noah. Noah was watching him with a slightly surprised, almost hungry expression that made Kurt wonder what he was thinking. He wanted to know, so he didn’t stop to think before he asked softly, “What are you thinking?”

“That it’s kind of scary how bad I want you, any way I can get you,” Noah replied softly, giving him a crooked little smile.

Kurt lifted one hand to his chest without really thinking about it, feeling suddenly hot and almost as if he were suffocating as his heart tried to beat out of his chest, very aware of his erection constricted painfully by his underwear and his tight jeans. Noah’s quiet words made him want to forget driving and forget waiting for the right time and just move into Noah’s lap right then and let Noah do anything he wanted to do to him. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that Noah would make certain that he enjoyed the experience, and all the reasons he had thought they should wait suddenly seemed so much less important than they had even a few hours before.

“Say something, babe,” Noah murmured, his smile fading away. “You’re starting to worry me.”

“I feel the same way,” Kurt blurted, taking his hand away from his chest to reach out towards Noah.

“I worry you?” Noah asked, looking a little unhappy even as he took Kurt’s hand to hold on to it tightly.

Kurt shook his head quickly, murmuring, “Oh no, sweetheart, not at all.” He paused slightly, feeling his face heat up as he admitted, “I want you so much it scares me, too. I was just thinking about how badly I’d like to climb into your lap and let you take me right here.”

Noah swallowed hard as his hazel eyes darkened, licking his lips slowly before he murmured, “God, baby. I just. I don’t even know what to say to that.”

“Say what you’re thinking,” Kurt said softly. “I won’t get upset, I promise.”

“I want to kiss you right now,” Noah whispered, blushing suddenly as he added, “but I _don’t_ want your first time to be in my pickup, at _school_.”

Kurt took a slow shaky breath, feeling a rush of love for Noah that left him feeling breathless all over again. He let go of Noah’s hand to move across the Ranger’s seat towards him, sliding out from behind the wheel and then moving to put his knee in the seat next to Noah’s thigh as he wordlessly leaned in for a kiss.

Noah didn’t hesitate to return the kiss, making a soft low noise into Kurt’s mouth as he reached for his waist, urging Kurt closer. Noah was kissing him with such palpable need that it made Kurt tremble as he moved completely into Noah’s lap, settling astride Noah’s muscular thighs as he slid his fingers into the soft hair at the back of Noah’s neck. Noah let out a low growl, his hands sliding around to stroke over the curves of Kurt’s ass even as he began to gentle the kiss, obviously trying to slow them down. Kurt followed Noah’s lead, trying to get better control of himself as he pressed back into Noah’s hands, loving the way Noah’s strong hands felt on his body through the thin barrier of his jeans.

They had been kissing for long enough that they were both breathless and Kurt was feeling kind of light-headed and painfully aroused when Noah finally ended the kiss, trailing soft little kisses along Kurt’s jaw to his ear before he whispered, “I want to make you come, babe, but I feel like we should take this slow.”

Kurt shuddered softly, lifting his chin and tilting his head to the side to give Noah better access as he breathed out, “I don’t know how long I can do slow. I want you so bad right now, I don’t even care that _anyone_ could see us.”

Noah licked slowly at his earlobe and then bit it gently, tongue swirling against the sensitive skin while Kurt whimpered and his back arched, pressing his aching erection firmly against Noah’s muscular belly. Noah let out a soft little hungry sound and his hands tightened on Kurt’s ass as he licked along the soft skin behind Kurt’s ear, nuzzling into his hair as he whispered, “Me either, babe.”

Kurt licked his lips, pulling back to stare into Noah’s dark, hungry hazel eyes as he murmured, “We don’t have to rush into sex, but there are other things we can do, Noah. I really want to see you soon, and touch you. I’ve dreamed about it for _months_.”

“I feel the same way, babe,” Noah agreed with a sweet little smile, moving one hand to Kurt’s face to stroke his fingertips along Kurt’s cheek and jaw. “You’re so beautiful, I just can’t resist you, even though I feel like I should. I don’t want to go too fast and do anything you regret later.”

“I will never regret loving you,” Kurt said quietly, smiling and kind of amazed at how calm he suddenly felt, despite his arousal.

Noah smiled a bit wider, his hazel eyes gentle as he whispered, “I’m gonna make it my life’s work to be sure you don’t.”

“So sweet,” Kurt whispered, leaning in for another kiss that Noah returned warmly, every move full of such tenderness and love that it made Kurt’s eyes sting a bit. Noah kissed him like they had forever to enjoy it, and Kurt found himself thinking that they might, that they could make what they had together last no matter how impossible it might seem. The dream that somehow he might actually have a chance at forever with _anyone_ had seemed completely unattainable a few months ago, but as he and Noah grew closer he was starting to believe it was possible. He had no doubt that he was in love with Noah and that his feelings weren’t going to change, and he truly believed that Noah felt the same way.

They had been kissing for what seemed like ages when Kurt’s phone suddenly began to play a familiar song. “ _I’m not the average girl from your video, and I ain’t built like a supermodel, but I learned to love myself unconditionally, because I am a queen_.”

Noah let out a little snort of a laugh and moved to rest his forehead on Kurt’s shoulder as he muttered, “I’m starting to think she does it on purpose.”

Kurt smiled, kissing the soft stubble on the side of Noah’s head and then murmuring, “She’s at the mall, sweetheart. She has no way to know what we’re doing this time.”

“She’s got a sixth sense.” Noah took the cell phone out of Kurt’s back pocket and then sat back, offering it to Kurt as the music began again. “Answer before she starts panicking, babe.”

Kurt kissed Noah lightly and then pushed the button to accept the call, putting his cell phone to his ear as he said, “Your timing is impeccable. Noah’s starting to think you do it on purpose.”

There was silence for a moment and then Mercedes let out a little surprised laugh. “Oops?”

Noah snorted, but he looked amused so Kurt just smiled at him. “What did you need, sweetie? We were kind of busy.”

“I know how you are about sweaters, and I found one that I thought you’d love,” Mercedes said quickly, sounding a little sheepish but mostly just amused. “It’s the only one on the rack in your size, so I was gonna send you a picture and see if you want me to get it for you. I bet it’ll be gone before you have a chance to get to the mall, and it’ll look really hot on you. It’s a slinky red cashmere thing that’s soft as a cloud and thin enough you could probably wear it all year, and it’ll match your new red jeans.”

“Send me a picture,” Kurt said, lips twitching at the way Noah rolled his eyes. Noah looked amused and tolerant but he obviously thought that the way Mercedes and Kurt were about shopping was rather silly. “I’ll text back and let you know, okay?”

“Perfect,” Mercedes agreed happily. “Sorry I interrupted, I thought you and your boy were hanging out with Quinn today.”

“Dean gave her a ride to my house,” Kurt explained, feeling his face heat up a bit as he admitted, “and Noah and I kind of got distracted. We haven’t even left the school yet, we’re still in his Ranger in the parking lot.”

Mercedes giggled. “Oh honey, please tell me you kept your clothes on.”

Noah snickered as Kurt turned beet red and said primly, “We are _both_ fully dressed, Mercedes. We were just _kissing_ , not having sex.”

“With the way you’ve been going, I bet that’s only ‘cause Puck said no,” Mercedes said teasingly.

Noah smirked. “She knows you pretty well, babe.”

“Shut up, both of you,” Kurt said with a soft laugh, moving out of Noah’s lap to get back behind the wheel. He was careful not to look towards Noah as he added, “I can’t help it that he’s so devastatingly sexy. I seem to remember _you_ drooling over him on more than one occasion, as a matter of fact. There was mention made of his impressive biceps and buns of steel, I believe?”

“I never said the boy’s not too hot for his own good,” Mercedes said quickly with a little embarrassed laugh. “But I also never threw myself at him like you’ve been doing. I got more pride than that, no matter how pretty he is when he smiles.”

“It has nothing whatsoever to do with pride,” Kurt said, holding his phone with one hand as he started the Ranger with the other. “It’s not my fault I’m braver than you are about going after the boy I love.”

Mercedes was silent a moment and then said quietly, “There’s a big difference, Kurt. _You_ love a boy who loves you back.”

“You’ll never know how Matt feels until you ask him, sweetie,“ Kurt said gently, already regretting his hasty words. “He likes you, we _all_ see it in the way he looks at you, but he’s not going to say anything until you make a move first. He’s too shy.”

“Maybe, I don’t know,” Mercedes said, trying to sound like she didn’t care. “Whatever. It’s all good, baby. I’m gonna go so I can send you that picture. You have fun with your boy, okay?”

“I will,” Kurt agreed. “Call me later and tell me about everything you got.”

“Text me when you get ready for bed?” Mercedes asked. “That way I won’t interrupt you two again.”

“Perfect,” Kurt agreed, smiling just a bit. “Talk to you then.”

“See you,” Mercedes said, and then she hung up.

Kurt turned off his phone, looking down at it and waiting for the picture message to arrive as Noah said gently, “You okay, babe?”

Kurt looked over at Noah, smiling at how concerned he looked. “I’m fine,” he said reassuringly, reaching for Noah’s hand again. “Just wishing I could remember not to tease her about some things.”

“Yeah, she gets kinda sensitive about guys,” Noah agreed quietly. “She nearly took my head off anytime I offered to make out, so I gave up on it even though it sounds like she probably wanted to.”

“She did,” Kurt agreed, amused. “She was just afraid to get attached to you. She knew it wouldn’t last because you didn’t really like her that way.”

Noah looked a little unhappy as he admitted, “She was right. I dated her for the wrong reasons, but at least I was honest with her about it. She’s got no reason to worry with Matt, though.”

Kurt looked searchingly into Noah’s eyes, surprised. “You sound very sure of that.”

“Promise me you won’t tell anyone, even her?” Noah said after a moment’s hesitation, smiling softly.

Kurt nodded, ignoring the way his phone vibrated as the picture message finally arrived. “I promise.”

“He’s crazy about her,” Noah said simply, still smiling. “I heard him and Mike talking about it a while back. Matt thinks she’s pretty close to perfect, but he’s afraid to say anything because he thinks she’s way out of his league.”

Kurt let out a soft little laugh, looking down at his cell when it started vibrating again. “She feels pretty much the same way about him.” He looked at Noah again, giving him an amused smile at the way Noah was grinning, and then he let go of Noah’s hand to free up both hands to work his phone. He looked back down at his phone as he opened the first picture from Mercedes, adding, “Which means that someone is going to have to have a little talk with Matt one day soon, because Mercedes will _never_ make the first move.”

Noah snickered. “Why do I get the feeling I’m elected?”

“Only because you are,” Kurt said quickly, grinning at the first picture of the sweater. It _was_ just the same shade of red as his new red jeans, and it was simply lovely with such a fine weave to it that it almost didn’t even look like a sweater. The second picture was a close-up of the sleeve that showed how fuzzy the sweater was and how thin, and Kurt smiled at the way Mercedes had covered the price tag with her thumb. He was sure she’d refuse to let him pay for it, but he wouldn’t argue too much. He bought things for her all the time too, so they had a standing policy not to argue about gifts.

The phone vibrated again and Kurt accepted the text, smiling at what Mercedes had sent. ‘ _know u want it, bb. right?’_

‘ _of course I do,’_ Kurt typed back quickly. _‘its lovely.’_

‘ _its yrs. luv u.’_

‘ _thanks! love you too. say hi to tina and the boys for us._ ’

_‘sure. nxt time u come!’_

_‘how about trip to dayton soon? you and me and the girls.’_

‘ _AWESOME!!!!!!_ ’

Kurt giggled and tapped out quickly, ‘ _ttyl xo’_

‘ _cya. xo’_

Kurt put his phone away, looking over at Noah and then letting out a soft little laugh at the look on Noah’s face. “What?”

“You’re so fucking adorable when you’re happy,” Noah said as his happy smile widened. “Makes me wanna kiss you every time.”

Kurt blushed, smiling as he leaned towards Noah, reaching for Noah’s shirt to tug Noah towards him without a word. Noah grinned and leaned to meet him with a soft, loving kiss, and then Kurt said with a smile, “I love you too.”

“Of course you do,” Noah said smugly, settling back into his seat. “I’m devastatingly sexy.”

Kurt laughed and looked away, feeling his face blush even hotter as he put the Ranger in gear and then started it forward. “I should have known you wouldn’t forget hearing that.”

“Not a chance in hell, babe,” Noah agreed, smug.

 

~*~

 

Puck normally wasn’t a real big fan of ‘ _Armageddon’_ , but like so many other things in Puck’s life, Kurt had managed to change that without even trying. The suggestion that Puck stretch out on the couch and get comfortable had made him think Kurt planned to watch in one of his chairs, which sucked, but Puck had done like Kurt wanted him to anyway, willing to do just about anything if it made Kurt happy.

Kurt had surprised the hell out of Puck by starting the movie and then climbing on top of him and settling over him like a blanket, wriggling around in an entirely too fuckable way before he relaxed with a happy sigh, pillowing his cheek on Puck’s chest to watch the movie.

Harry had just died to save the world, but Puck was feeling pretty awesome. He had been hard for more than two hours, but he didn’t really care even a little bit because Kurt felt so _right_ sprawled all over him. He could feel Kurt’s hands tucked under his back, and Kurt’s cheek was against his chest with the rest of Kurt’s body draped over him, and Kurt hadn’t complained at all about Puck running his fingers slowly through Kurt’s silky, delicious-smelling hair while they watched the movie. Kurt’s hair always smelled like cinnamon and vanilla, almost like a cinnamon roll, and he loved being able to just lay there holding him and enjoying the chance to play with it.

The credits were about to roll when Quinn hummed softly and then a moment later she murmured, “You’re nice to cuddle with.”

Puck glanced over at her to see Dean was smiling and watching the movie as he ran one hand over Quinn’s back slowly and whispered, “You’re a nice armful.”

“Not hardly,” Quinn murmured, sounding sad. “I look like a beached whale and—“

“And no one ever told you how hot a pregnant lady is, huh?” Dean finished for her, smirking suddenly as he shifted in the chair.

Quinn pulled away to look at Dean, her eyes widening, and Puck smirked, sure that it had just dawned on Quinn that Dean was hard. “You like _fat women_?”

Dean brushed back Quinn’s hair, looking amused. “You’re not fat, sweetheart. You’re _pregnant_. There’s a really big difference.”

“You’re crazy,” Quinn said, and Puck nearly laughed at her expression. She obviously thought Dean had lost his mind.

“Maybe, but you’re still sexy as hell,” Dean said, grinning. “You’ve got this whole soft-eyed glowy thing going on that _really_ works for you.”

Kurt shifted suddenly to move one arm onto Puck’s chest, propping himself up a bit as he stared at Dean. “Dean, _please_ tell me you’re not trying to get in Quinn’s pants.”

Dean laughed and looked over at Puck and Kurt. “No, I’m not tryin’ to get laid, I promise.”

“Then you don’t really mean what you said,” Quinn pointed out, looking disappointed enough that Puck hoped Dean _was_ trying to get lucky, at least a little. He hadn’t realized Quinn wanted Dean like that – he had, in fact, thought Quinn gave up guys altogether – but if she did, he wanted her to enjoy herself with him. He knew how lonely Quinn was, and how she hated never having someone to hold her and kiss her, and Puck wanted her to have that even if only for a while. He liked and trusted Dean, and he was sure that Dean wouldn’t hurt her.

“I meant it,” Dean said firmly, looking at Quinn again. “That doesn’t mean I’m enough of a jerk to try to get in your pants _now_ , though. I heard you and Kurt’s stepmom earlier while we waited for Puck an’ Kurt to get here, and I kinda doubt you’re supposed to be gettin’ laid if you’re only a few weeks from poppin’ out your little girl.”

“Beth,” Quinn corrected softly, watching Dean with an expression Puck recognized as how Quinn always looked when she was trying not to hope for something she really wanted. “What if I wasn’t due so soon?”

Dean smirked slowly, his expression going very wicked and making Quinn’s eyes widen just a bit as he purred, “Sweetheart, I would be all _over_ you.”

Kurt reached out to point the remote at the DVD player, stopping the movie and ejecting the disc as he said cheerfully, “There’s always later, Dean. The doctor is supposed to induce labor the day after Regionals, and he says she won’t have to miss more than a day or two of school as long as she takes it easy. Carole offered to take care of Beth during the day so one of us doesn’t have to drop out to do it.”

Puck almost stopped breathing, his gaze flicking to Kurt’s face in surprise before he made himself look back towards Quinn and Dean, wondering if that was the plan Kurt had mentioned earlier. He had no idea when Kurt could have possibly spoken to Carole about it since then – he had been with Kurt every moment since they got home – but if that was the plan, Puck kind of loved it. If Beth would have to stay with anyone that wasn’t him, Kurt, or Quinn, he couldn’t think of anyone better than Carole. Most of his best childhood memories were of things he had done with Carole, who had often been more like a mom to him than his own mother was. He had never doubted his mother loved him, of course, but he had hardly ever seen her because she worked so much.

Quinn was staring at Kurt in surprise while Dean smiled and said, “I can be patient that long.”

Quinn looked quickly back at Dean, staring into Dean’s eyes for a few moments and then smiling as she laid her head on his shoulder. “That’s sweet, Dean, but I won’t be having sex afterwards, either. Not for weeks after the baby is born.”

“There’s all kinds of things we can do without fucking, sweetheart,” Dean murmured, still smirking. “You just let me take care of you and you won’t even miss the sex, I promise.”

Puck grinned at that, liking the sound of it and kind of wishing he could be a fly on the wall for their first time. Quinn and sex didn’t belong together in his mind anymore, but Dean and sex sounded like a lot of fun to him in a way he still wasn’t quite sure he understood.

Quinn giggled and lifted her head to look at Dean again, blushing. “You’re so bad.”

“Nobody has ever complained,” Dean said, smirking. “Sex is great, but it’s not like it’s the only way to get off. It’s not even always the most fun.”

Kurt shifted to fold his arms on Puck’s chest, watching Dean and Quinn interestedly with just a hint of blush on his cheeks as he asked, “Such as?”

Puck ran his hands over Kurt’s back, amused as he watched and listened.

Dean looked at Kurt and let out a little laugh, then smirked. “I already told you, kid. Ask Puck to show you. I’m sure he’s done enough to make it interesting for you.”

Quinn giggled as Puck laughed, looking at Kurt in surprise. “You asked _Dean_ about sex?”

Kurt blushed very red as he met Puck’s gaze. “I might have, yes. I was curious and wanted to know what it’s like, and he _has_ been there and done that.”      

“You could ask me,” Puck said, suddenly wondering if Kurt had been feeling the same kind of attraction to Dean that had hit him by surprise a few times when he least expected it. “I’ve been getting laid whenever I felt like it since I was fifteen.”

“Yes,” Kurt agreed, looking down at Puck’s chest, “but I am rather sure you haven’t done what I was most curious about.”

Puck blinked and then his eyebrows went up as it dawned on him that Kurt had asked Dean about being fucked. “And you think Dean has?”

“He _said_ he’d done it with a guy both ways the other night,” Quinn said, giggling again. “Weren’t you listening?”

Puck looked over at Dean, still surprised. “How did I miss that?”

“Don’t ask me,” Dean said, snickering even though he was suddenly blushing very red. “Nobody else did, going by the looks I got.”

“Huh.” Puck just stared at Dean, thinking about that.

If Dean had done it all before, he probably wouldn’t mind doing it again, and that meant Puck might actually be able to practice a little before he and Kurt finally had sex. Puck didn’t want to cheat on Kurt, not even with Dean, but Kurt was too important to him to experiment on, especially for Kurt’s first time. Puck wanted it to be _perfect_ , and he knew that would only happen if he knew exactly what he was doing and how to make it wonderful for Kurt. He had been avoiding getting that far because he really didn’t think Kurt was ready yet and because of the circumstances at the time, but there was also more than a little bit of fear there holding him back. The last thing he ever wanted was to hurt Kurt, and he hadn’t ever done anything with another guy so he didn’t really know what he was doing. Sure, he had fucked girls every way he possibly could, but that didn’t mean it would be anything like fucking Kurt would be. Every girl Puck had been with was different, and he was sure that guys had to be a whole new ballgame.

Puck looked into Kurt’s eyes after a few moments, feeling uncertain but trying to hide it as he said slowly, “I guess I could probably talk Dean into showing me what it’s like then, if you want me to.”

Kurt’s blue eyes went wide and he stared at Puck in shock. “I must have heard that wrong. It sounded like you just offered to let Dean … top you. For me.”

Puck blushed. “I did.”

“I bet Dean wouldn’t mind,” Quinn said then, and Puck could _hear_ her smirking even though he didn’t look away from Kurt’s eyes. “Puck’s hot enough, isn’t he?”

“Sure,” Dean agreed, sounding surprised and amused. “I’m always willin’ to help out a friend.”

Quinn laughed. “Especially if it gets you a chance at an ass as hot at Puck’s.”

“I’m not stupid,” Dean said quickly, and Quinn giggled.

Puck felt his face heating up more and knew he was blushing beet red as he stared into Kurt’s eyes, seeing the shock there. He could only take it for another moment before he blurted softly, “It wouldn’t be anything but sex, but if you don’t like the idea, it’s not happening. I mean, Dean’s cool and all, but he’s not you.”

Kurt stared into Puck’s eyes a little longer before he smiled slowly, still looking surprised but obviously pleased as the look in his blue eyes grew gentle and warm. “I’m not going to be upset if you … experiment with Dean until I’m ready to satisfy your needs myself. I know you too well to ask you to be exclusive until then.”

Puck frowned as he realized Kurt didn’t really understand. “I _can_ wait for you, baby.” He felt his face heating up worse again, but bulled on anyway because he needed Kurt to understand why he was willing have sex with Dean. “I want to, for you. I just want to know what I’m doing when you’re ready so I don’t screw it up. Your first time, _our_ first time, ought to be special.”

Kurt gave him a soft, loving smile as he murmured, “I do enjoy the sweet things you say, Noah.” He leaned to kiss Puck without giving him a chance to reply, and Puck lifted his hands from Kurt’s back to cup Kurt’s face between them as he responded, trying to put exactly how he felt about Kurt into the kiss.

Kurt shifted a little higher on Puck’s body as he moved more on top of him to settle with Puck’s hips between his thighs, and Puck purred soft and low as he moved his hands to stroke them slowly over Kurt’s body, memorizing every inch. Puck could feel Kurt’s dick against his belly and knew Kurt was as hard as he was, but they didn’t rub against each other or try to get off. It just wasn’t important. Kurt’s mouth tasted like heaven and a slight hint of the cherry limeade they had stopped to get on their way home, and Puck couldn’t think of anything he wanted more than to keep kissing and touching him for as long as humanly possible.

Puck was vaguely aware that Dean and Quinn were murmuring about something, probably him and Kurt, but he didn’t really care about that either as his right hand ghosted down over the curve of Kurt’s ass, stroking and massaging while Kurt made a soft little hungry sound into his mouth. Puck shifted slightly to deepen the kiss with Kurt, humming at the way Kurt thrust his tongue into his mouth and then sucking gently at Kurt’s tongue as he felt Kurt’s fingers stroke through his hair.

Puck let himself get lost in Kurt completely, and didn’t really register it when the door to the room opened a little while later, or even when footsteps thudded down the stairs, so it was kind of a surprise when Finn suddenly exclaimed, “Whoa, shit! I did _not_ need to _see_ that, Kurt!”

Quinn started giggling then but Puck didn’t stop kissing Kurt, their tongues sliding together in his mouth as he used the hand tangled in Kurt’s hair to tip Kurt’s head slightly, his other hand stroking rather possessively over Kurt’s ass. If Finn wanted to be nosy and barge into Kurt’s bedroom, then Puck figured he deserved to get an eyeful.

Kurt let Puck hold the kiss a few moments longer, responding with definite hunger, then finally pulled away. He was beet red and breathless with his lips reddened and swollen from kissing, and he was obviously exasperated as he looked over at Finn and said, “Then learn to knock! This _is_ my bedroom, and I’m sure I will eventually be doing _much more_ than just kissing my _boyfriend_.”

Finn was definitely freaked out, wide-eyed and not looking anywhere near Kurt and Puck, and Puck had to make an effort not to laugh at him as Finn blurted loudly, “I get that, I do, just… Dude! I didn’t want to _ever_ see some guy feeling up your _ass_.”

Burt walked quickly down the stairs then, looking kind of pissed as he asked, “What the hell is going on down here? I thought you kids were just going to watch a movie.”

Kurt quickly scrambled up off of Puck to stand and face his dad, obviously very embarrassed as he lifted one hand to his hair and tried to smooth it down a little. “We did, Dad. It ended a few minutes ago.”

Puck sat up quickly then, unable to hide a slight wince as the movement pinched his painfully hard dick. He was feeling kind of sheepish as he ran one hand over his mohawk, not meeting Burt’s gaze because he was a little afraid of what he’d see in Burt’s eyes if he did. If Burt was ready to kill him, he didn’t want to know until it was too late. Worrying about it would be worse than whatever Burt did to him, he was sure. “We _were_ just kissing, sir.”

“That’s all we’ve done,” Kurt said firmly, making Puck look up at him. Kurt looked almost confident despite his blush, and he was looking at Burt as he added, “But if we had … done more, I would hope that you would accept that I’m old enough to choose for myself who I want to share that with and when.”

Burt was silent for a long moment before he sighed. “I do, son. I trust you to make your own decisions about sex.” Puck looked towards Burt again just as Burt looked at him, and he saw Burt’s expression harden a bit as he added, “But you’d better treat my boy _right_ , Puckerman. Don’t push him into anything he’s not ready for, and if you _ever_ hurt him…”

Puck met Burt’s gaze finally, blushing as he stood and reached for Kurt’s hand. “Kurt’s safe with me, sir, you’ve got my word on that. I’ll wait as long as he needs me to, and if--”

“When,” Kurt corrected.

Puck looked at Kurt, meeting Kurt’s confident gaze and then smiling suddenly. “ _When_ we do more than kiss, I’ll make sure everything we do is his idea.”

Kurt smiled at Puck then, his blue eyes warm and happy, and Puck found himself smiling back as he just stared into Kurt’s eyes and basked in the love he saw there.

Burt was quiet for a minute or so before he suddenly said gruffly, “Then welcome to the family, son.”

Puck looked quickly at Burt, wide-eyed and feeling awed. “Wow. Uhm… Thank you, sir.”

Kurt beamed, moving closer to Puck’s side as he shifted to hold Puck’s hand in both of his. “Yeah, thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me.”

Burt just looked at Kurt for a few moments before he finally said, “You’re both welcome. I think.” He turned to go again, glancing at Finn’s still-shocked face and then looking back at Puck and Kurt as he added, “Finn was coming to tell you kids that Carole and I got Chinese for everyone, but I think you traumatized him enough he forgot.”

“Next time someone else can tell them,” Finn said, hurrying suddenly past Burt back up the stairs. “I don’t want to know what those two are doing to each other. It’s weird enough seeing them kiss all the time at school!”

“ _I’ll_ tell them next time, Finn,” Burt said, rolling his eyes as he followed Finn up the stairs. “Hurry up, kids, before dinner gets cold.”

Kurt laughed softly. “We’ll be there in a minute, Dad.”

“Or less,” Puck added, pulling Kurt towards the stairs as Kurt laughed again.

“What time is it?” Quinn asked, and Puck smiled when he glanced back towards her.

Dean was moving the hand he had on Quinn’s back, extracting it out from under her hair to check his watch. “Just after eight-thirty.” He made a face and added, “Which means I should be going. Sammy’ll be at home waiting on me, an’ the kid worries if I stay out late on a school night.”

“Surely you can eat first,” Kurt said quickly as he stopped on the stairs, making Puck stop too. “You said Sam was eating with his friend’s family.”

“I’m not into Chinese food,” Dean said, smiling at Kurt. “Thanks for the offer, though.”

“You and me both, man,” Puck said with a laugh as he moved towards the kitchen again, tugging on Kurt’s hand to get him moving again. “Thank God for egg rolls and those wonton things, or I’d starve as much as everyone around here loves the crap.”

Kurt looked amused as he let Puck pull him up the stairs. “There’s nothing wrong with Chinese food, Noah. You’re just a heathen that thinks bacon cheeseburgers are on par with a gourmet meal.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Puck said cheerfully as they walked into the kitchen. “Just don’t tell my mom, she’d kill me.”

“Noah!” Carole said, laughing softly. “You’re not keeping kosher any more?”

Puck felt his face heating up as he blurted, “Don’t tell Mom, Aunt Carole. Please? She’d have a _cow_ , and it’s not like she has much room to talk, always ordering sweet and sour pork for Simchat Torah.”

Carole blinked, surprised and amused. “We did that one year in high school because she was mad at your Nana Connie and wanted to try it. She still does it?”

“Every year, while we watch _Schindler’s List_ ,” Puck said, sheepish and nodding as he moved to sit in the same chair he had been in at breakfast. “It’s a tradition now.”

Carole was obviously trying not to laugh as she said, “Nance always did have an odd sense of just what the rules were…”

“Well, now we know where Noah got it, I suppose,” Kurt said with a giggle, moving to the pantry. “What do you want to drink, sweetheart?”

“Dr Pepper’s fine, babe,” Puck answered easily, smiling as he turned his head to watch Kurt get two cans of Dr Pepper. He was trying hard to act like he didn’t notice the way Burt was watching him, even though it made him want to squirm and maybe even hide. “It looks like Carole already did everything else, why don’t you have a seat?”

“Yes, Kurt,” Carole agreed quickly as she leaned against the counter near the stove, where a small pot of water was boiling with tea bags in it. “Sit down, sweetie. Everything’s already on the table except the tea.”

Kurt carried the drinks to the breakfast bar, putting both of them by Puck’s glass as he smiled at Carole. “I’m going to make some lemonade real quick for Quinn. She isn’t supposed to have soft drinks, and she’s tired of water.”

“Have a seat and let me do that, babe,” Puck said quietly, smiling and feeling very glad that Kurt and Quinn were so close. “I know where everything is.”

Kurt leaned to kiss Puck’s forehead lightly and then turned away to walk around the bar to the fridge. “I’ve got it, sweetheart. Fix your plate.”

Puck noticed Finn’s expression as Kurt passed behind him and he blinked at how confused Finn was looking as he stared at Puck. “What?”

Finn blinked and then flushed at being caught staring, looking away as he reached for one of the takeout containers to start putting rice on his plate. “Nothing.”

“That look was something, dude,” Puck said. “Just spit it out.”

Finn glanced at Puck, and then looked down at his rice as he mumbled, “Just, you two look _happy_. It’s weird.”

Kurt let out a laugh suddenly, moving away from the fridge with several lemons as he said dryly, “Because of course we shouldn’t be happy. That’s for other people, not me or Noah.”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Finn said quickly, looking at Kurt. “Just, I keep expecting you two to come to your senses and try to kill each other, but it’s not happening. I never saw either one of you so happy before.”

Kurt put the lemons on the counter and grabbed a knife to slice them in half, not looking at Finn as he said calmly, “We’re not going to wake up one day and realize we hate each other, Finn, because _we don’t_. We _never_ hated each other, not even when we fought every time we got within five feet of each other. It wasn’t ever about that.”

Finn frowned, looking confused. “How could it not be about that? He used to—”

“It wasn’t, Finn,” Kurt said firmly, looking over his shoulder at Finn and then looking back at the juicer as he pulled it close to the sink. “And it doesn’t matter what _used to_ happen. It’s over and done with, and it’s not happening again, just like the way _you_ used to act isn’t happening again.”

Finn flushed and glanced quickly at Puck before looking down at his plate. “No, it’s not.” He looked up again towards Kurt, adding, “And I’m sorry I ever did it.”

Kurt started to juice the lemons into the small pitcher he usually made lemonade in, glancing over to smile at Finn, looking a bit surprised but pleased. “Thank you.”

“Just what was it you did, Finn?” Burt asked, and Puck looked towards him to see Burt looked curious and a little concerned.

“Nothing important, Dad,” Kurt said quickly, not giving Finn a chance to answer. “Finn and I fought a lot for a while, you know that.”

“You’re sure,” Burt asked, looking at Kurt.

Kurt nodded, turning his head to smile at his dad. “Definitely. It’s all over and done with.”

“Alright,” Burt said, looking down as he picked up his fork to start eating.

Carole turned to take the small pot off the stove, pouring it into a pitcher of ice water behind her to make tea.

Puck heard a noise behind him and turned his head to look, wondering what had taken Dean and Quinn so long until he saw Dean carry Quinn into the kitchen, putting her feet down but not moving away from her even a little.

“Thank you,” Quinn said then, smiling. “That was much easier than walking. It’s getting harder every day to get back up those stairs.”

“I bet,” Dean agreed with a grin, ducking his head to kiss Quinn before he said teasingly, “I’ll see _you_ tomorrow, beautiful.”

Quinn beamed up at Dean, her eyes sparkling. “Count on it.”

Puck realized that Quinn definitely had a crush on Dean, which made him feel suddenly guilty about talking about having sex with him in front of her, even if she _had_ been encouraging them. She couldn’t have sex at the moment, so it was really unfair of them to have been talking about it around her, especially with a guy she seemed to want for herself.

Dean winked at Quinn and then looked at the others in the room as he started towards the front door, grinning. “Night all.”

“Good night, Dean,” Carole said, watching Dean with a surprised smile as she carried the pitcher of tea to the table.

Burt just nodded and waved, his mouth full.

Finn was looking shocked and a little unhappy as he repeated, “Night.”

“See you at school, Dean,” Kurt said, smiling happily as he moved to the table with the small pitcher of lemonade, pouring a glass for Quinn and another for himself.

Puck reached for the egg rolls, grinning at Dean as he added, “Drive safe, man.”

“I will,” Dean said cheerfully. “Enjoy your _Chinese_ , Puck. I got a date with a bacon cheeseburger and a beer.”

“Oh man, that was just cruel!” Puck exclaimed as everyone in the kitchen started laughing.

Kurt giggled and patted Puck’s shoulder, putting the lemonade pitcher down with his other hand and then scooting his usual chair over to Quinn’s spot. Puck noticed Finn flushing and figured Finn had been asked to get another chair as Kurt walked quickly towards the pantry and teased, “You had a bacon cheeseburger for lunch, you’ll survive Chinese for dinner.”

“Still, he doesn’t have to rub it in,” Puck said with a slight laugh, watching Kurt retrieve a folding barstool and carry it back to the breakfast bar to sit on.

Quinn waited for Kurt to sit down and then moved to her chair, giving Kurt a grateful smile when he reached out to steady her as she carefully balanced on the stool. “Thanks.”

Kurt smiled and patted her hand. “My pleasure, sweetie.”

Puck leaned to get the container of pineapple chicken, passing it to Kurt as he murmured, “You better get some before Quinn gets a hold of this, babe.”

Kurt laughed and took the container. “Carole got three containers of it, Noah.”

Puck grinned at Kurt, picking up one of his egg rolls as he teased, “Yeah, but she’ll eat at least one by herself.”

“Hit him for me, Kurt,” Quinn said then, laughing. “I can’t reach.”

Kurt laughed. “Oh no, I’m not going to encourage either of you.”

“He gets off on being _hit_?” Finn blurted, looking kind of freaked out.

Puck laughed as Kurt stared at Finn. “Finn, seriously. Do you _ever_ think of anything besides sex?”

Finn flushed very red. “You said hitting him would just encourage him!”

“To _misbehave at the table_ , yes,” Kurt said, looking kind of annoyed. “To continue teasing Quinn, and likely myself as well, and possibly even start a tickle war if he thinks he can get away with it, not encourage him to _try and get laid_. That is definitely not something either of us is going to be interested in while we’re with _family_.”

“That’s just freaky, dude,” Puck added with a snicker. “I mean, Aunt Carole’s kind of like my second mom, and Burt already told us to behave ourselves, and just, so much no.”

Quinn giggled and looked at Finn as she added a bit pointedly, “They have a much better grasp of things you shouldn’t do or say in front of someone’s parents than you’re giving them credit for, Finn.”

Finn didn’t even look at Quinn, acting like she hadn’t even spoken as he frowned at Puck and said, “But you two are _always_ all over each other.”

Puck snorted, rolling his eyes. “No, we’re not, you just see it that way because if we _hold hands_ you freak out, much less anything else. We’re not as touchy-feely as you and Berry are all the time, but it’s not because we don’t want to be. Kurt’s not ready for us to be all over each other around his dad, and I’m sure as hell not gonna push him for it. I’m happy just to be with him, I don’t mind waiting for privacy for more.”

“You weren’t in private earlier,” Finn pointed out, frowning more and looking confused. “Dean and Quinn were just a few feet away.”

“Dean and Quinn don’t count as an audience,” Kurt said quietly, making Puck and Finn both look at him. Kurt was blushing but he met Finn’s gaze fearlessly as he added, “They were too busy making out to care what we were doing anyway, and it’s not like we were having sex or something. We were cuddling on the couch kissing.”

“He was _feeling you up_ ,” Finn pointed out with a snort. “Any girl would have had a fit.”

“I seem to remember you trying to grab _my_ ass every time we made out,” Quinn said suddenly, just a bit sharp. Finn finally looked at her, surprised and flushing as Quinn added, “And you tried to get your hand under my skirt more than once while we were kissing _at school_ , with half the school watching.”

“That’s different!” Finn protested, frowning. “You were my girlfriend.”

Kurt snorted. “Finn, it really _bothers_ you that I’m male, doesn’t it?”

Finn looked at Kurt, confused. “What makes you say that?”

“Because if I were a girl, you would have no problem with anything Noah and I do together,” Kurt said calmly. “Admit it to yourself, if not to everyone else. Your problem isn’t because it’s me, or because you don’t trust Noah. Your problem is that two men are kissing and touching each other.”

Finn stared at Kurt for a few moments and then said slowly, “I just— I don’t understand it, Kurt.”

“I don’t understand how you could possibly put up with Rachel like you do, either,” Kurt pointed out as he picked up his fork, “but I don’t badger you about it, or treat her badly, or act as if you haven’t got the right to be happy with her.”

“I love Rachel,” Finn said, frowning.

Kurt looked at Finn again and said quietly but firmly, “And I love Noah.”

“Just pretend Kurt’s your little sister, Finn,” Quinn said suddenly, giving Finn an almost pitying look. “Stop worrying about Puck hurting the new brother that you can’t understand and try just thinking of him as a girl, Finn. Everyone will be happier, including him.”

“Kurt hates it when someone treats him like a girl,” Finn pointed out, giving Quinn a dirty look.

Kurt put his fork down again and looked at Finn. “If it will help you accept the fact I’m in love with Noah, then I give _you_ permission to treat me like a girl, Finn.”

“Seriously?” Finn asked, surprised.

“Yes,” Kurt replied, looking serious and a tiny bit sad. “I would be _happy_ for you to treat me like a girl if it makes it easier for you to accept the fact I _enjoy_ being with Noah. I have never been able to show my feelings for _anyone_ and have them returned, Finn. I know that’s not something that’s probably as important to you as it is to me, not as popular as you are, but I _love_ knowing how much he cares about me and that he’s not the least bit ashamed of me.”

“If either of us should be ashamed of the other one it’s you, babe,” Puck said then, not really even thinking about it before he spoke. “I’m a screw-up, but you’re _awesome_. Anyone who doesn’t see that is an idiot.”

Kurt turned towards Puck with a sudden sweet smile, reaching for Puck’s hand as he said quietly, “I am _proud_ of how you feel about me, Noah. You make me feel loved in a way that no one else _ever_ has, and I will never be ashamed of the way we feel about each other.”

Puck smiled, lacing his fingers with Kurt’s as he stared into Kurt’s sparkling blue eyes and murmured, “Glad I’m not screwing this up too bad.”

“You’re not screwing up at all,” Kurt murmured with a sweet, happy smile, leaning towards him with a look in his eyes that left no doubt what he wanted.

Puck smiled and leaned to meet Kurt with a gentle, loving kiss that they drew out for several moments until Burt said dryly, “Your dinner is getting cold, boys.”

Kurt pulled away quickly, blushing as he looked at his plate again. “Sorry, Dad.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Burt said just a bit gruffly. “Just save it for after you eat. You’re too skinny to be skippin’ meals.”

Kurt laughed softly, blushing a little more as he reached for his fork to eat without saying anything.

Puck gave Kurt’s hand another squeeze and then let go of his hand to start eating too, giving Burt a sheepish little smile. “He ate a decent lunch today, sir, so he’s not gonna starve, but I’ll stop distracting him anyway.”

Burt looked surprised. “Real food, or veggie sticks?”

“A grilled chicken sandwich from Sonic with mozzarella sticks,” Puck replied, smiling wider. “He even finished it all, I was kinda proud of him. He doesn’t usually.”

“I was hungry,” Kurt said with a soft little laugh. “It was a long morning.”

“What happened?” Burt asked quickly, concerned.

“We’re gearing up towards Regionals,” Kurt said easily, smiling at his dad. “We’ve been practicing a lot and I worked up an appetite.”

“That’s good,” Burt said with a sudden relieved smile. “You kids are gonna do great, I know.”

“I hope so,” Kurt agreed, smiling wider. “I think we’ve got a really good chance.”

“We’re gonna blow them all away,” Puck said confidently, grinning. “We’re awesome.”

Kurt laughed and nodded, looking at Puck. “We really are.”

“Very,” Finn agreed suddenly, making Puck and Kurt both look at him. Finn was smiling and looking pleased as he added, “Especially if you really sing lead for part of the mash-up like you said you would, Puck.”

“I will,” Puck said, surprised.

“Noah doesn’t mind taking the lead, Finn,” Kurt added with a smile. “Rachel just seldom admits anyone but you and she can truly sing long enough for someone else to do so in public.”

“She’s getting better about it,” Finn said quickly, letting out a little laugh. “We’ve talked about it and she’s trying to include everyone a little more.”

“She is doing much better,” Kurt agreed, smiling as he looked back down at his plate to eat.

Finn grinned, seeming pleased as he followed Kurt’s example to dig into his pepper steak over rice again, and Puck decided they had the right idea, looking at his own plate as he reached for an egg roll. They could keep talking through the whole meal, he was sure, but the food _was_ getting a little cool, and Chinese just wasn’t any good once it got cold.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

 

 

Quinn went in the living room with Carole and Burt after dinner, leaving Kurt, Finn, and Noah alone in the kitchen. She didn’t feel like walking back down the stairs to Kurt’s room again, and she didn’t want Noah to have to carry her, so she had decided to just watch television with Carole and Burt until Noah was ready to go home. Noah had offered to take her home so she could go to bed, but she had refused, saying she’d be perfectly happy there at Kurt’s relaxing on the couch with Carole. Quinn had been very close to Carole at one point, just like Noah had been, so Noah hadn’t argued with that idea at all.

Kurt and Noah were soon doing the dishes together in peaceable silence, both smiling and relaxed even though Kurt was very aware of Finn sitting behind them at the breakfast bar with a bowl of ice cream. He could feel Finn watching them, but he refused to act differently because of it. He loved how comfortable Noah was with helping him do the dishes, even though they had done them together before. He usually asked Noah to rinse and put things on the drying rack since that was the easiest part, but this time Noah had insisted on washing. Noah was obviously in no hurry, taking his time with each plate and often glancing at Kurt to give him a sweet smile as he bumped his shoulder or his hip gently against Kurt’s while they worked.

Kurt wasn’t really sure why it left him feeling almost absurdly happy, but it did. He was beaming long before they got done and hoping that Noah intended to go down to his room with him for a while before he left. He really wanted to get Noah alone, and he was sure Quinn wouldn’t mind going home a bit later. She had been rather tired by the time she went into the living room with Carole and Burt, and Kurt was sure she was probably sound asleep.

“I never woulda thought _you’d_ be the one washin’ the dishes, kid,” Burt said suddenly, making Kurt turn to look towards the kitchen doorway. Burt looked kind of surprised but pleased as he walked into the kitchen with an empty tea glass, adding, “That’s usually Kurt’s job, unless he made dinner.”

Noah turned around to smile at Burt, amused. “I don’t mind. At home I cook _and_ do the dishes most of the time.”

“Your mom doesn’t cook?” Burt asked, leaning against the island and setting his glass down, which made Kurt realize he had probably just used the empty glass as an excuse to check up on them. He obviously wanted to stay and talk a few minutes, and Kurt was sure it was because he was curious about Noah. His dad respected his intelligence, but Burt was also very protective and would have wanted to know more about anyone that he dated, much less someone he had fallen in love with. Burt’s knowledge of Noah’s past, particularly the whole babygate drama, would just make him even more anxious to find out what he could about Noah.

“She does, but she hasn’t got time to very often,” Noah explained, smiling. “She works nights a lot of the time, and she’s usually asleep when I make dinner for me, Quinn, and Sarah.”

“Sarah’s your little sister, right?” Burt asked, curious.

“Yes sir,” Noah said, nodding. “She’s been over here, but I don’t know if you really met her or not. She usually sits on Kurt’s bed while we practice if she has to come with us.”

“I’ve seen her around,” Burt agreed, “but she hasn’t talked to me.”

“It’s nothing personal, sir. She’s shy with men,” Noah said, shrugging one shoulder and looking a little uncomfortable. “Our father walked when she was a baby, but he came back sometimes and what little she does remember about him isn’t good. She hasn’t had any men around to really get used to since the last time he showed up.”

Kurt moved to get his dad’s glass, smiling at Noah. “Except you.”

Noah laughed. “I don’t count, babe. I’m just her big brother.”

Burt smiled, looking a little wry. “I can see how that would be.” He turned his attention to Kurt, reaching out like he wanted to take his glass back as he added, “I can get a refill myself, son.”

“I’ve got it,” Kurt said with a smile, moving to the fridge to get more ice from the dispenser. “What would you like, Dad? More tea?”

“Yeah, please,” Burt said, amused. “But I keep tellin’ you that you don’t need to wait on everyone around here.”

“I don’t mind,” Kurt said, smiling at his dad as he opened the fridge to get out the pitcher of tea and refill Burt’s glass. “I kind of like it.”

Noah snickered and turned back towards the sink as he said, “It’s kinda freaky to hear you sounding so much like me.”

Kurt laughed, moving to offer Burt his tea as he looked at Noah. “The thought had crossed my mind, sweetheart.”

Noah looked over his shoulder at Kurt, grinning with his hazel eyes warm and sparkling. “We could have worse things in common than taking care of family, babe.”

“We most certainly could,” Kurt agreed.

Burt finally took the glass of tea then, making Kurt look at him again as Burt looked at Noah with an amused expression and teased, “I never would’ve pictured you as the wife type, Puckerman.”

Noah laughed, turning away from the sink to lean back against it as he dried his hands on a dishtowel. “Most people wouldn’t, Mr Hummel, but I’ve been doing the cooking and cleaning at home for years.”

Quinn walked into the kitchen then, looking tired but smiling as she added, “And doing a wonderful job of it, too. He takes very good care of me and Sarah.”

“Speaking of, what did you need, momma?” Noah asked, smiling at Quinn.

Quinn looked a bit sheepish. “Your jacket? I’m having trouble falling asleep.”

Noah pushed away from the sink, moving towards the door to Kurt’s room quickly as he said, “It’s on the bed, I’ll be right back.”

“Thanks, honey,” Quinn said softly, stopping to lean against the counter as she yawned, one hand on her belly rubbing absently.

Kurt moved over to Quinn, smiling softly as he brushed her hair back from her face and murmured, “Were you comfy enough on the couch, sweetie?”

Quinn smiled and nodded, looking half asleep. “Just kept waking up because the couch doesn’t smell like Puck.” She moved even closer to Kurt to slide her arm around him, laying her head on his shoulder with a soft happy hum. “Mmm, I could cuddle _you_ and sleep. You smell like him after he’s been eating Nana Connie’s cinnamon rolls. Yummy.”

Kurt laughed softly, feeling his face heat up. “I’m glad you approve.”

“You sleep with Puck?” Burt asked, making Kurt and Quinn both look at him in surprise. Burt looked a little surprised and not very pleased, and Kurt realized that his dad had gotten completely the wrong idea.

“No,” Quinn said, and a glance at her was enough to tell Kurt she was kind of confused by the question. “We did a few times when we tried really dating, but that was months ago, Mr Hummel. He never sleeps more than a couple of hours at a time, and I hate being woken up every time he checks the clock. Besides, Nancy wouldn’t exactly have been pleased about it if she had caught us, so we decided it wasn’t worth it.”

Kurt’s lips twitched in amusement as Burt frowned, looking confused as he asked, “Then why would our couch not smelling like him keep you awake?”

Quinn blushed at that as Noah trotted out of Kurt’s room, snickering. “Because she steals my pillow to sleep with, sir, or my jacket, or my blankets, or anything else that isn’t nailed down.” He offered Quinn his letterman jacket, teasing, “Here’s your blankie, momma.”

Quinn giggled, blushing more as she pulled away from Kurt to take the jacket and hold it folded against her chest. “Shut up, Puck. It’s your fault, making me feel so safe when I’m with you.”

Noah looked pleased, his hazel eyes going gentle and warm. “It’s my job, momma,” he murmured, kissing her forehead. “Go take a nap, me and Kurt were going to hang out a while, if you don’t mind.”

“As long as we’re home by eleven so your mom doesn’t have a hissy fit,” Quinn agreed, smiling as she stretched up to kiss Noah’s jaw lightly. “I figured you two would want some private time, and I can sleep just as easy on this couch as at home.” She turned away, walking back towards the living room.

“Kurt,” Burt said then, making Kurt look quickly at him. Burt looked a little uncomfortable as he said, “I hope you’re not thinking of … rushing into anything.”

Kurt blushed hotly as he said just a bit pointedly, “You didn’t care what I did with Brittany, Dad. You just told me to use protection.”

Burt looked sheepish suddenly. “Son, I’m sorry, but I kinda _knew_ nothing was gonna happen there. She was a _girl,_ and you’ve had girls sleeping in your bed for years without anything ever happening. That’s not going to be the case with Puckerman, here. There’s no doubt in my mind what you two want a little privacy for. I wish there was. I really don’t want to think about you doing that kind of thing before you’re forty.”

“We’re not going to have sex _tonight,_ Dad, okay?” Kurt said quickly, feeling like his face was on fire. “I _promise_.”

“Or even this week,” Noah added, making Kurt look at him in surprise. Noah looked kind of amused, and Kurt realized that Noah wasn’t even embarrassed, which really he should have expected. “We’re not in a hurry, Mr Hummel.”

Burt was looking searchingly at Noah, and Kurt was surprised to see Noah meeting his dad’s gaze with no sign of fear as Burt said slowly, “I got your word on that, Noah?”

“If you want it, sir,” Noah agreed easily, nodding. “I promise Kurt’ll still be a virgin this time next week.”

Kurt wanted to argue with that – he had been looking forward to sex, and even gave some thought to Saturday afternoon, when the house was sure to be deserted – but he kept his mouth shut, watching his dad and Noah instead.

But looked into Noah’s eyes for a minute or two and then held his free hand out to Noah. Noah’s eyebrows went up slightly but he took Burt’s hand without any hesitation and then Burt said gruffly, “Don’t make me regret trustin’ you on this, son.”

“I won’t, sir,” Noah said quietly, looking serious and calm as he shook hands with Burt and then Burt let go of his hand. “Swear it on my baby sister’s life.”

“He’ll never break that promise, Burt,” Finn said suddenly, making Kurt look at him in surprise as he realized Finn was still there. “He’d rather die than break his word if he swears it on Sarah,” Finn added, getting up to carry his bowl around the other side of the island to the sink.

“Good to know,” Burt said just a bit gruffly, reaching out to pat Noah’s shoulder. “You boys enjoy yourselves.” He walked out of the kitchen without another word, heading back into the living room.

“Oh. My. God,” Kurt murmured, staring at Noah. “Tell me that I was dreaming and you didn’t just discuss me _losing my virginity_ with _Dad_.”

Noah grinned. “Sorry babe, you know I don’t lie to you.” He smirked. “Let me finish the dishes and then we can go downstairs where you can spazz at me in private, okay?”

“I got the dishes,” Finn said suddenly, making Kurt and Noah both look at him in surprise. Finn looked kind of sheepish but he was smiling a bit as he added, “Take is as kind of an apology for being such an ass before. I get it now, mostly. I think.”

“What is it you get, Finn?” Kurt asked, still surprised.

“That you two really are in love somehow, and it’s not just a sex thing,” Finn said quietly, giving Kurt a crooked smile. “I don’t understand it still, but I believe it now. I kinda thought you two were making like bunnies whenever you could find a door that locks, and that was why you’re all over each other. I didn’t get that Puck really _loves_ you.”

“We’re not ‘all over each other’,” Kurt protested, but Noah laughed.

“Babe, we kind of are,” Noah said, grinning. “It’s not a bad thing.”

Kurt looked at Noah. “I behave myself in public.”

“And I’m sure there are people who are glad,” Noah agreed with a smirk. “Just like I’m glad you _don’t_ behave when we’re alone.”

Kurt laughed, blushing as he looked back at Finn and changed the subject. “Are you sure you don’t mind doing the dishes?”

“Nah, I don’t have anything better to do,” Finn said quickly, smiling as he waved towards Kurt’s door. “Go on. I can wash dishes without supervision. I did every night until we moved in here.”

Kurt turned away without any more protest, reaching for Noah’s hand and starting to tow Noah behind him towards the basement door. “I’ll remember that next time I cook, Finn.”

Finn snorted. “I figured you would.”

Noah snickered, letting Kurt tow him into the basement without protest. Kurt heard the door close behind them as he started down the stairs, and he had just reached the bottom step when Noah murmured, “So what did you have in mind, babe?”

“It’s definitely not happening now,” Kurt said, glancing back at Noah. “You promised Dad we wouldn’t have sex.”

Noah blinked and then let out a little surprised laugh. “Damn, baby, you were gonna put out?”

“Not necessarily,” Kurt said quickly as he towed Noah towards the couch, “but I _was_ considering it.”

Noah smirked and teased, “Or were you hoping I’d put out?”

“It’s a thought,” Kurt said quietly as he stopped by the couch, turning to face Noah as he let go of Noah’s hand. “I was rather looking forward to at least seeing some skin.”

Noah stopped barely a foot away, reaching for the hem of his shirt and pulling it up and off to drop the t-shirt on the coffee table as he murmured, “That enough, babe, or did you want me to get rid of the jeans, too?”

“That’s fine,” Kurt said faintly, barely aware of the hand he was pressing to his heart as his gaze roamed over Noah’s upper body. “Lord have mercy, you’re beautiful.”

Noah smirked and flexed, making his muscles ripple as he purred softly, “And just think, babe. I’m all yours.”

Kurt lifted his gaze to Noah’s hazel eyes quickly then, smiling. “With a Dean exception.”

Noah blinked and then frowned very slightly. “Just once, babe. I want to learn how to make it good for you, but after that, I kinda think he’s gonna end up being Quinn’s.”

“Perhaps,” Kurt agreed, even though he didn’t quite believe it. Something about the way Noah and Dean looked at each other made him think they wouldn’t be able to resist doing it again after they finally did touch each other. They both pretended there was nothing there, but Kurt had caught Noah watching Dean more than once with a look in his eyes that Kurt often saw Noah directing at him, and he couldn’t forget how Noah had been all over Dean right there in his room that first day they met. He was very sure Noah wanted Dean, and he was beginning to think Noah had feelings for him, too, whether Noah realized it yet or not.

“Definitely,” Noah corrected, moving closer as he put his hands on Kurt’s hips. “Dean’s just one of my two best friends, baby. He’s not you.”

Kurt smiled, feeling like his heart might burst even though Noah had again avoided saying the three little words Kurt most wanted to hear him say. “I love you too,” he whispered, lifting his hands to Noah’s chest to stroke over smooth skin that felt completely amazing, warm and soft and alive and so very muscular that just touching him made Kurt breathless.

Noah smirked slightly as he murmured soft and low, “Lucky me.” He kissed Kurt then, lingering as he explored Kurt’s mouth, and Kurt relaxed into it with a low happy hum, his hands still roaming over Noah’s perfect body as he stopped trying to think.

Thinking was overrated anyway.

 

~*~

 

Puck was sprawled on his back on Kurt’s bed, shirtless in just his jeans and socks as he tried to relax and think of unsexy things like scrubbing toilets. He had been hard for most of the evening and it was getting to the point that any pressure against his dick was painful, which was why they had finally stopped making out. He had the worst case of blue balls he’d ever had in his _life_ , but instead of being frustrated and angry about it like he might have been with a girl, he was just amused and actually kind of _happy_.

Kurt had been rubbing up against him in a way that Puck found completely awesome even though it was right on the edge of too much because of how rough the denim of his jeans felt against his over-sensitive dick, but then Kurt had shifted to grind against him in a way that was much less awesome and Puck hadn’t been able to keep back a pained noise. Kurt had heard it and he had immediately stopped what he was doing to pull away as they both tried to relax a little. Neither one of them wanted to stop touching, no matter how uncomfortably aroused it made them, but they could both stand to calm down some.

Kurt was curled up against Puck’s side wearing just his skinny jeans as he slowly stroked his right hand over Puck’s chest and belly, his touch light but sure as his fingers ghosted over Puck’s skin. It was just enough to keep Puck from being able to will away his hard-on, and after a few moments he caught Kurt’s hand with his, tangling their fingers together as he murmured, “That’s so not helping, babe.”

Kurt kissed his chest and then murmured, “You should just let me take care of it for you.”

Puck closed his eyes, amused and a little surprised at himself as he said quietly, “Nobody would believe that it was _me_ who keeps putting the brakes on.”

“I find it kind of hard to believe myself,” Kurt admitted softly. “I know you care about me, but it’s making me start to wonder if you want _that_ from me.”

Puck frowned, rolling to his side to look at Kurt as he let go of Kurt’s hand, tipping Kurt’s chin to make Kurt look at him as he said firmly, “Baby, it’s _not_ about me not wanting you.” He felt his face heating up but he made himself keep looking into Kurt’s worried blue eyes as he admitted, “I want you so bad it kind of scares me, but I promised your dad we’d take this slow. If I forgot myself and tried to go too far, I’ve got a feeling you’d let me.”

Kurt blushed at that, looking kind of surprised, but his surprise quickly faded into a tiny sheepish smile. “I would.”

“I kind of knew that,” Puck murmured, relaxing slowly again. “I just— I want to do this _right_. I care way too much about you to rush you into anything. It’s only been a few days since _you_ were saying you wanted to go slow.”

Kurt was still blushing and looking kind of sheepish as he whispered, “I just want you so much, I can’t resist. When we’re apart, I’m kind of glad you keep slowing me down, but while I’m with you, all I want to do is climb you like a tree.”

Puck chuckled softly and kissed Kurt, lingering a long moment before he pulled away and whispered, “You trust me, babe?”

“Always,” Kurt responded without hesitation, smiling soft and sweet.

“Then just relax and enjoy,” Puck murmured, mindful of the bruises on Kurt’s back as he gently pushed Kurt onto his back and then started to trail soft kisses down his chest. Seeing the bruises for the first time earlier had made him want to either kill someone or cry, but Kurt insisted they didn’t hurt, and he didn’t flinch when Puck touched them, so he was trying very hard not to think about them too much. It upset Kurt when he got angry, and the last thing he wanted to do that night was upset Kurt.

Kurt shuddered slightly and then said quietly, “Oh my God. You’re not.”

“I am, unless you want me to stop,” Puck replied, licking across Kurt’s nipple slowly.

Kurt’s back arched to push up into Puck’s mouth as he whispered breathlessly, “Only if I get the return the favor.”

Puck groaned softly and laid his forehead on Kurt’s chest, closing his eyes and breathing deeply as he murmured, “Let this time be about you, babe. Please?”

“You’re so hard it _hurts you_ , sweetheart,” Kurt protested softly, running his fingers through Puck’s mohawk. “I don’t want you going home like that.”

“I’ll jerk off in the bathroom before I go then,” Puck muttered, lifting his head to look up at Kurt. “Just, let me take care of you, baby.”

Kurt just looked into Puck’s eyes for a minute or two before he said quietly, “I don’t want you to get me off unless I get to return the favor. I can … relieve myself as easily as you can.”

Puck sighed and moved up to lay back down next to Kurt. “Alright, if that’s what you want.”

Kurt pouted. “I think that backfired.”

Puck let out a soft little snort of a laugh. “On both of us.”

“Mmm,” Kurt agreed. He rolled towards Puck, his gaze dropping to Puck’s chest as he moved one hand to rest right over Puck’s heart and said softly, “I’m sure that after a long cold shower I’ll be glad you stopped me, but right now I kind of wish you’d just let me get you off. I’ve wanted to … to _taste you_ for _ages_.”

Puck groaned and closed his eyes. “God, babe.”

Kurt moved to rest his forehead against Puck’s, sounding amused as he murmured softly, “Why is it we’re waiting again?”

“Because I promised your _dad_ , and because I don’t want to fuck this up,” Puck replied without hesitation, moving one hand to Kurt’s side and then just holding on. “I know that when we’re together you want _everything_ , baby, but I can’t help but think that after I go home and your head clears you’ll feel a little differently.”

Kurt didn’t reply, and the silence dragged on long enough that Puck opened his eyes to look at Kurt, concerned. Kurt looked into his eyes a moment, looking serious and thoughtful, and then Kurt finally admitted with a wry little smile, “I hate it when you’re being the mature one.”

Puck let out a soft little surprised laugh. “Is that what I’m doing?”

Kurt nodded. “And I love you for it.” He kissed Puck and then shifted closer and tucked his head under Puck’s chin, pressing a soft kiss to his chest and then murmuring, “Hold me for a little while before you have to go?”

“I’d love to, babe,” Puck murmured against Kurt’s hair, his arms sliding around Kurt to pull him closer.

They were both quiet and still for a few minutes before Kurt murmured, “Sing something for me? Please?”

Puck smiled at how quiet and shy Kurt sounded, and he nuzzled Kurt’s hair as he murmured, “Anything in particular, or should I pick something?”

“You pick,” Kurt murmured, sounding pleased.

Puck thought for a moment and then smiled, closing his eyes as he began to sing very softly against Kurt’s hair. “ _Goodnight, my angel, time to close your eyes, and save these questions for another day. I think I know what you've been asking me, I think you know what I've been trying to say. I promised I would never leave you, and you should always know, wherever you may go, no matter where you are, I never will be far away.”_

Kurt kissed his chest, his arms tightening around Puck as he began to hum along with the song very softly, making Puck smile as he went on singing.

“ _Goodnight, my angel, now it's time to sleep, and still so many things I want to say. Remember all the songs you sang for me, when we went sailing on an emerald bay, and like a boat out on the ocean, I'm rocking you to sleep. The water's dark, and deep inside this ancient heart, you'll always be a part of me…”_

“I love this song,” Kurt whispered, lips brushing against Puck’s chest again, and Puck kissed Kurt’s hair before he went on with the song.

“ _Goodnight, my angel, now it's time to dream, and dream how wonderful your life will be. Someday our child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby, then in your heart there will always be a part of me.”_

Kurt joined him for the next verse, his voice soft and relaxed as they sang quietly together, “ _Someday we'll all be gone, but lullabies go on and on... They never die, that's how you, and I, will be…_ ”

They both trailed off and fell silent, just holding each other for a moment before Burt suddenly said quietly, “It’s after ten-thirty, boys.”

Kurt pulled away quickly as Puck opened his eyes in surprise to see Burt standing at the foot of Kurt’s bed watching them with an unreadable expression. “Dad!” Kurt blurted, grabbing his pillow to clutch it in front of him as he blushed beet red well down his chest. “What are you _doing_ in here?”

Burt’s eyebrows rose and he looked just a little bit amused. “Quinn’s worried Puck’ll be late getting home. She was going to come down and get him, but I didn’t think it was a good idea as tired as she is. Finn’s already in bed, and Carole’s watching some show on the cooking channel about desserts, so I decided to come get him.”

Puck nodded quickly, rolling off the bed and moving to go grab his t-shirt off the coffee table. “Thanks, Mr Hummel. I don’t want to be late, Mom’ll have a cow.”

Burt turned away from the bed to watch Puck as he asked, “Was that Billy Joel you two were singing?”

Puck pulled his shirt on and then looked at Burt again, surprised. “You listen to Billy Joel, sir?”

“Not really, but Kurt’s mother had all his stuff,” Burt said quietly. “I haven’t heard that song since just before she died, I don’t think. She loved that whole _Dream River_ album, or whatever it was called. I’ve still got the vinyl somewhere, I’m sure. I kept all her albums.”

“ _River of Dreams_ ,” Puck corrected quietly, still surprised.

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Burt said with a nod, and then he started towards the bedroom door, not looking back as he added, “Let me know if you ever get Schuester to let you perform together, I’d like to be there. You two sounded real good.”

“Thank you, Dad,” Kurt said, and when Puck looked towards him he saw Kurt was smiling and looked very happy despite his lingering blush. “I’ll bring it up next time we’re going to do a performance.”

“Good deal,” Burt said, pausing on the stairs to look back towards Kurt. “G’night, son.”

“Good night, Daddy,” Kurt replied, still smiling happily. “I love you.”

“Love you too, son,” Burt said gruffly, heading up the stairs and then closing the door quietly behind him.

Puck moved over to where he had kicked off his shoes before the movie, sitting on the couch to put them back on as he looked over at Kurt. “I hate leaving you, babe, but I don’t have much choice. Mom’s actually home tonight, so she’ll be up to make sure I don’t break curfew.”

Kurt put his pillow down and climbed off of the bed, walking over to the couch as he smiled and said, “It’s okay, sweetheart, don’t apologize. I don’t want you getting into trouble because of me.”

Puck usually didn’t bother tying his shoes, so it only took a moment to pull them on and stuff his laces down inside them. He stood as soon as he was through, moving to slide his arms around Kurt as he murmured, “I still hate leaving you. I want to just hold you and watch you sleep.”

“Another time,” Kurt murmured as he lifted his hands to the back of Puck’s head to play with his hair. “When is the next time your mom has to work?”

“Saturday,” Puck said softly, smiling as he tried not to let himself lean into Kurt’s touch, his hands slowly stroking Kurt’s back. “She goes in around nine and won’t be home until after six the next morning.”

“I’m taking the girls shopping Saturday morning early, but we’ll be back before dark and then I’m all yours. I’m sure I can talk Dad into letting you stay the night,” Kurt murmured, smiling. “He wasn’t mad about us being together just now, so he’ll probably go for it. I think he likes you.”

“You got a date, babe,” Puck said with a smile, leaning in to kiss Kurt soft and sweet. His watch beeped a moment later and he pulled away reluctantly, letting out a sigh. “Fifteen ‘til. I better go.” He smirked at Kurt, adding, “We can pick up where we left off tomorrow night.”

Kurt’s eyes widened slightly and then he blushed, looking very sheepish. “Uhm… Tomorrow’s Friday, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Puck agreed, amused. “All day long. Why?”

“I kind of promised Mercedes and Tina a girls night in, complete with manicures and everything,” Kurt admitted, sheepish. “’Cedes is bringing movies for us to watch and they’re both spending the night.”

Puck snickered and kissed Kurt lightly, then pulled away to head towards the door. “That’s cool, babe. I’m sure I can find something to do that’ll keep me out of your way.”

Kurt was quiet a moment and then blurted, “You could go out with Dean.”

Puck stopped at the bottom of the stairs to look back at Kurt in surprise. “Do what now?”

“He’ll probably have nothing to do,” Kurt said quickly, blushing as he walked towards Puck. “Quinn’s going to be with us.” He paused when reached Puck, looking into his eyes a moment before he added softly, “And if you won’t let me take care of you, someone should. He said he was interested, and you did say you wanted to … experiment with him.”

Puck stared at Kurt a moment longer, trying to wrap his mind around Kurt pretty much telling him to go out and get laid, and then he finally put the idea out of his mind. They needed to _seriously_ talk that over first, and he just didn’t have the time to do it then. “We can talk about this tomorrow, babe. I really need to go.”

Kurt reached for his hand to take it quickly. “I’ll see you for breakfast, right?”

“Sure babe,” Puck agreed, giving Kurt’s hand a squeeze as he stepped closer to kiss Kurt lovingly. “G’night.”

“Good night,” Kurt echoed, smiling at him.

Puck squeezed his hand once more and then let go to hurry up the stairs, hoping Quinn was already in the truck. If she wasn’t he was never going to make it home before eleven, not even if he broke the speed limit all the way.

 

~*~

 

Kurt got up extra early the next morning so he would have plenty of time to get ready for school and still have coffee and two hot cheese Danishes ready by the time his dad wandered into the kitchen around five-fifteen.

Burt paused in the doorway, wearing just his boxers and a t-shirt, then continued towards his usual chair as he murmured, “Couldn’t sleep, kiddo?”

“I just wanted to be sure I got to spend some time with you before I go,” Kurt replied quickly, blushing. “Noah will be through with his paper route soon, and then we’re going to go get coffee and breakfast before we pick up Quinn and Mercedes for school.”

Kurt had been anxious to talk to Noah again all night, and it hadn’t gotten any better after Noah texted him just before five to suggest the two of them going out alone for breakfast as soon as Noah finished his paper route. Kurt had agreed quickly, and after a couple more texts back and forth Noah had said he had to get busy, so Kurt had stopped bothering him. It was hard to read emotions in a text message, of course, but the conversation left Kurt feeling a little worried that Noah was upset about him encouraging Noah to have sex with Dean. He felt like he needed to explain himself, so he could hardly wait for Noah to finish the paper route and come pick him up.

Burt smiled slightly, reaching for his coffee cup. “You don’t have to make time for me, son. I know how it is, wanting to be with someone every waking minute because everything’s still new and amazing. I don’t mind if you want to go have breakfast with your boyfriend.”

“Every time he leaves, it’s a little harder to watch him go, no matter how much I like the view,” Kurt murmured, looking down at his coffee. He looked up again at Burt, meeting his dad’s gaze for a moment before he said quietly, “Which is why I want him to stay over Saturday night.”

Burt’s eyebrows went up and he put down his coffee, looking surprised and concerned. “I know you were in bed with him last night, but I thought you boys were behaving yourselves. He promised to wait a while for that kind of thing.”

Kurt blushed very red. “I just want to _sleep_ with him, not have sex.” He looked down again, staring into his coffee mug like it was fascinating as he admitted, “Things have been… pretty rough at school for a long time, Dad, worse than I’ve told you about. When he’s holding me it’s like nobody can ever hurt me again, and I _need_ how safe and loved he makes me feel.”

Burt was quiet for a moment and then said slowly, “I’ll have to think about it, son. And if I _do_ say yes, there’s gonna be some rules.”

Kurt looked at his dad quickly, trying to hide the sudden surge of hope he felt. “That’s fine, Dad. Great, even. We don’t mind rules.”

“Top of the list will be you keepin’ _all_ of your clothes on,” Burt pointed out, reaching for his coffee again. “I might’ve killed him last night when I walked in if you two had been doin’ more than singing to each other.” His tone shifted to something a bit more heated as he added, “But I’m still plannin’ to have a little _talk_ with the boy about all those bruises you’ve got on your back and shoulder, though. There’s no excuse for him manhandling you, not as easy as you bruise.”

Kurt felt his face heating up, sure his dad was referring to the definite hand print around his upper arm from when Karofsky grabbed him, and the bruises on his back from when he hit the wall. Noah had gotten very quiet when he saw them the night before, and Kurt was sure that Noah was going to be itching for an excuse to beat up Karofsky for weeks. “Noah is _going_ to keep his word to you, Dad. I’m the one who wanted to take off our shirts.” Kurt looked down again at his coffee mug, feeling like his face was on fire as he admitted, “And he didn’t give me the bruises.”

“Who did?” Burt asked, sounding much more annoyed.

“It doesn’t matter,” Kurt said quietly. “It’s nothing new, this time there was just more evidence than usual because I was caught off guard.”

“I asked who did it, Kurt,” Burt said, his tone of voice brooking no argument. “I want to know what happened, _now_.”

“A jock,” Kurt said with a slight shrug of one shoulder, not looking up. “It doesn’t matter which one, most of them get … physical if I let them get close to me. He shoved me around some, that’s all. I was on my way out of the restroom, and he caught me alone so he decided to remind me how much he hates fags.”

“And what did Puck do when you told him about it?” Burt asked, sounding a little angry but also kind of helpless, and Kurt knew that his dad was wishing he could protect him from the Karofsky types in the world.

“Noah wanted to kill him with his bare hands,” Kurt said softly, “but I made him promise not to. Dean had already taken care of it, and between us Dean and I convinced Noah to let it go.”

“ _Dean_ took care of the guy?” Burt asked, sounding surprised enough that Kurt looked up finally. “How did that happen?”

“Dean heard me telling… the jock to leave me alone,” Kurt explained, “so he stepped in. When the guy wouldn’t back down, Dean kicked his ass.” He paused and then added, “The guy needed stitches afterwards because he hit his head when he went down, and Dean scared him bad enough that the guy apologized to me later on my way to lunch.” He smiled. “The guy kind of ran away from me then, even though he’s as tall as Finn and about twice as big, so I don’t think he’ll be a problem anymore.”

Burt let out a surprised little laugh as he reached for the nearest plate with a Danish on it. “And _Dean_ scared him that bad? He’s not really that much bigger than you are.”

“Dean is a _lot_ tougher than he looks, Dad,” Kurt said as he moved a fork where his dad could reach it, not really wanting to go into detail about what happened. If he did, Burt would descend on the school like an avenging angel, Kurt knew, and he was sure it wouldn’t do any good if that happened. He didn’t think his dad needed the stress, and he didn’t particularly care to try and get the school faculty to admit that the jocks were tacitly allowed to bully anyone they wanted as long as the few teachers who refused to tolerate it didn’t see them. “He’s had a really rough life, and he’s been on his own a lot, so he’s had to protect himself and his little brother.” He smiled, adding softly, “And I think he’s kind of claimed me as another little brother now. He’s been watching out for me a lot, anyway. He’s really sweet.”

Burt was quiet, eating a few bites of the Danish before he finally said, “Alright, son. I won’t say anything to Puck about the bruises, but I’m still not real happy about the whole shirtless in bed together thing. I know you’re sixteen, and you’re old enough to fool around, but I still think you’re goin’ a little too fast right now. You haven’t been dating this kid all that long, and I _know_ you know him pretty well, and that you trust him, but I think you’re still rushin’ into things you’re not really ready for.”

“So does Noah,” Kurt admitted, making Burt’s eyes widen. Kurt looked down, flushing hotly again as he admitted, “I wanted to do more than just kiss last night, but he wouldn’t let me. He doesn’t want us doing anything I might regret once he’s not stealing away my ability to think rationally just by being with me. He’s afraid that it might hurt our relationship, even though I can’t see how it possibly could.”

Burt let out a little snort of a laugh. “Good for him.” He was quiet a moment, taking a drink of his coffee, then set his mug down and sounded a little uncomfortable as he added, “Never would’ve thought it, knowin’ what I do about his reputation, but I’m glad to hear it anyway. One of you needs to be thinkin’ above the waist, and from the things you’re saying, that won’t be you.”

Kurt covered his face with his hand, mortified. “I can’t _help it_ , Dad. He’s just— He’s _gorgeous_ , and he’s so sweet and gentle that he makes me feel _amazing_ when I’m with him. He’s all I can think about anymore.”

“I’m glad he’s so good to you, son,” Burt said quietly, sounding like he was uncomfortable with the conversation despite his definite amusement. “From what I’ve seen, he’s a good guy that wants to take care of you, so I’m tryin’ hard to cut him some slack with stuff like callin’ you babe and touching you all the time right in front of me.”

Kurt made himself look at his dad, still blushing so red he could feel the heat spreading down his chest. “I _like_ when he calls me babe. That’s why he does it so much. And I touch him all the time too. I kind of can’t help it, not when I’m close to him.”

“I noticed,” Burt said, obviously amused as he picked up his fork again. “You’re lucky I remember how it was with your momma when she and I were your age an’ neck deep in love.” He paused slightly and then added, “You remind me a lot of her, y’know. More every day, it seems like. She was hanging all over me all the time while we were dating, and I loved every minute of it just like I’m sure your Noah likes you leanin’ against him and touchin’ him all the time. I just don’t want you two rushing into things. You haven’t even been dating the boy for a _week_ yet, Kurt.”

“I know,” Kurt said quietly, watching his dad take a bite of cheese Danish. “The way I feel isn’t new though, Dad, and now that I can finally show it, I want to.”

Burt chewed slowly, obviously thinking that over before he swallowed and then asked, “How sure are you about this guy, Kurt? Honestly, now. I’m not asking if you want him, I kinda got that message. I’m asking how _serious_ you two are.”

Kurt bit his lower lip, hesitating only a moment before he said softly, “I want to spend my life with him, Dad. I love him, and I know he loves me too. I can’t see either of us changing our minds about that.”

“You know that’ll mean being a big part of his daughter’s life,” Burt said quietly, looking serious and thoughtful as he gazed into Kurt’s eyes. “A kid is a really big responsibility, especially at your age.”

“I know, Dad, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot, I promise. Noah already loves Beth so very much, and I know he’ll just love her even more when he’s finally able to hold her. I’ve spent _months_ figuring out how to help him make it work so he can be the dad he wants to be, and I think we can do it, especially since Carole said she’s going to help us,” Kurt replied quickly. “You want her to quit her job anyway, and she always wanted more children, so she’s offered to watch Beth for us during school so neither of us has to drop out to do it. Noah practically raised his little sister and I _know_ he’s going to be a wonderful dad to Beth whenever we’re not in school, and anything he and I can’t handle, Carole is sure to know. She’s been a pediatric nurse for over five years now, so I think with her help we can convince Quinn to really give us a chance.”

“But you had such plans, son,” Burt said softly, obviously concerned. “College and everything, I mean. I don’t want you giving up your dreams for Noah or his little girl.”

“I can do school and help take care of Beth too, Dad,” Kurt said earnestly, smiling. “Carole already made me promise to get Noah to go to college with me, and I’m _sure_ I can persuade him. She’s going to watch Beth for us during the day until I’m finished with _all_ of my schooling, and after that Beth can stay with me when she’s not in school.” He smiled wider. “I am an honorary girl, after all. I think I can handle keeping one little girl happy and occupied while her daddy works. I know he’ll insist on working, he needs to take care of us too much to ever go along with me working so he can be with Beth all day.”

“And Quinn? How does she fit into all of this?” Burt asked, curious.

“I don’t think Quinn really _wants_ to fit in to all of this,” Kurt said quietly, his smile fading away. “She never wanted to have kids at all, Dad, and she doesn’t want Beth even now. The _only_ reason she hasn’t already signed adoption papers to give her up is because of Noah, and because I’ve begged her so often to give him a chance. He wants his little girl more than anything, and Quinn knows that Beth might be his only chance to have kids.”

“Because he’s with you,” Burt half-asked, surprised. “She really thinks you two will last that long?”

“Dad, we’re _not_ just fooling around,” Kurt replied, “or even dating like Finn and Rachel. We’re _in love_ , and the one thing I can’t give Noah is children.”

“We can adopt,” Noah said suddenly, making Kurt look towards the kitchen doorway in surprise. Noah was standing there in his favorite worn-out jeans and a short-sleeved button-front shirt that was open over a very tight white tank top that made just how muscular he was very plain, and he looked entirely too edible for Kurt’s peace of mind. Noah walked further into the kitchen while Kurt was staring at him, carrying the newspaper and a large coffee over to offer both to Burt as he looked at Kurt and said softly, “Or even do like Rachel’s dads did and find a surrogate. There are ways we can have kids later, babe, if that’s what you want.”

“It’s what _you_ want, I know,” Kurt said, wondering how he missed the sound of the front door. “You told Quinn that you want a house full of kids.”

Kurt had no idea when Noah had come in, and he wondered how much Noah had heard. They hadn’t had a chance to talk it all over yet, not really, and Kurt hoped Noah hadn’t heard enough to be upset because Kurt had told his dad more than he had told Noah. Kurt had been working hard to get everything to work out for Noah’s sake, but he hadn’t really explained what he had planned to Noah yet. He kept meaning to the night before, but every time he had the chance they had ended up kissing instead.

Burt accepted the cup of coffee and the newspaper from Noah, still looking surprised as he set them both on the table and murmured, “Thank you, son.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” Noah said quickly, smiling.

Kurt looked at his dad and waited a moment, expecting Burt to say more, but when he didn’t Kurt turned his attention up to Noah’s face again.

Noah smiled crookedly at Kurt, obviously amused as he said gently, “Keeping you safe and making you happy is my number one goal in life, babe, not having more kids. If you don’t want a house full of kids, then I’m sure we can figure out how to survive with just the one little girl.” His lips twitched into a wry, slightly sad smile. “Well, if Quinn really does keep Beth, anyway. She still hasn’t told _me_ that she intends to, and I promised not to ask her again after the whole singing to her at school and making her cry in public thing.”

“I think she will,” Kurt said with a smile, reaching for Noah’s hand. “Carole and I texted about it all through English yesterday, and we’re going to work on her some more tonight.”

Noah lifted Kurt’s hand to kiss his knuckles lightly, and then gave him a sweet, loving smile. “Let Aunt Carole know how grateful I am for her help. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have watching over my baby girl for me when I can’t be there to do it.”

“She knows, sweetheart,” Kurt said quickly, beaming despite a slight blush. “I’ll tell her again, though.”

“Good deal,” Noah said, smiling. “You about ready to go, babe, or should I have a seat?”

“I should eat my Danish,” Kurt said, sheepish. “I got a bit distracted talking when I should have been eating.”

Burt reached to take Kurt’s plate then. “I’ll take care of that, son. You two go on.”

Kurt looked at his dad, amused. “Are you sure you don‘t mind?”

“Not a bit,” Burt said with a quick smile. “I’ve got plenty of good coffee now, and you know I won’t mind eating a second cheese Danish.”

Kurt laughed softly. “True.” He let go of Noah’s hand and slipped out of his chair, moving over to kiss his dad’s cheek lightly before he murmured, “Thank you, Daddy.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Burt muttered, blushing and obviously kind of uncomfortable.

“You did,” Kurt disagreed quietly, smiling and trying to hide his amusement at how easy it was to make his dad blush. “You’re the most amazing dad ever, and I’m very lucky to have you.”

“I’m glad you think so, son,” Burt said gruffly, bumping his shoulder against Kurt. “Now go on, get your things so you and Noah can go eat.”

Kurt grinned and moved towards the basement door, catching Noah’s hand on his way by to give it a brief squeeze before he released it again. “I’ll only be a minute.”

“No hurry, babe,” Noah replied easily, moving to sit down where Kurt had been, next to Burt.

Kurt glanced back as he opened the door to his room, smiling at Noah, who was watching him with a sweet, relaxed smile, then he headed down stairs to get his things and check the mirror one last time.

 

~*~

 

Puck watched Kurt go and then looked towards Burt, murmuring quietly, “He’s right y’know. You are a _really_ cool dad.”

Burt looked at Puck in surprise for a moment, and then looked back down at his Danish to cut another bite. “Thanks, son. I just try to do the best I can.”

“You’re doing an awesome job,” Puck said quickly, keeping his voice down because the basement door was open and he didn’t really want Kurt to overhear. “Kurt’s really lucky to have you.”

Burt looked up from his Danish, giving Puck a searching look as he asked softly, “Your dad wasn’t much of a father, huh?”

“My father’s not a dad,” Puck corrected quietly. “He got mom pregnant when she was seventeen and Nana Connie guilted him into ‘doing the right thing’ and marrying my mom even though he didn’t love her and didn't want kids. His parents disowned him for marrying a Jew, and he wasn’t happy that he had to get a real job and work for a living instead of playing guitar like he wanted to, so he took it out on Mom.” He paused, looking down at the toe of his battered old high top shoe as he admitted, “And on me sometimes, if I tried to make him leave Mom alone. He started leaving for months at a time when I was four or so, and then when Sarah was about six months old he just packed his stuff and left one night while Mom was at work.” He looked up at Burt. “I think babies must learn a lot more that first year than people say they do, though. Sarah was only around him a few times after that, but she would run screaming from men until she was five, and she’s still shy with them, especially if they’re tall and skinny like he was. Just about the only tall skinny guy I ever saw her talk to willingly is Finn, and that’s because she grew up with him. She’s even a little skittish with Mike, and she’s known him for years.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that, son,” Burt said quietly, looking sad. “You kids deserved better, and so did your mom.”

Puck shrugged one shoulder, looking down again. “We got by okay, I think. I mean, Aunt Carole let us stay with her and Finn a lot when Mom was going to night school and working as a waitress, and I did my best to make it easier on Mom while we were at home because Mom was working so hard to feed us. Sarah’s turned out happy and kinda normal, and I’m not in juvie for stealing cars or something, so it must not have been too bad.” He let out a little snort, adding softly, “I guess I didn’t really learn anything from it all, though. I made the same mistake my father did, getting a girl pregnant before I even got out of school.” He looked up, meeting Burt’s gaze as he said, “I’m not as stupid as him, though. I’m not marrying Quinn just because we got drunk one night and did something monumentally stupid, no matter how bad our parents wanted me to. It’d ruin both of our lives even worse than I already did.”

“That wasn’t _all_ your fault, son,” Burt said quietly. “It takes two to tango, and it seems to me that you’re handling it pretty well now, no matter what went on then. You’re working hard to support Quinn and taking good care of her from all I’ve seen, and Kurt tells me you’re planning to be a good dad to your daughter if she’ll let you.”

“If Quinn really does give me a chance, I _will_ be a good dad,” Puck said firmly, determined that at least that much he could manage. “No kid of mine is going to grow up thinking her daddy didn’t want her. She’s going to know that she’s loved and wanted no matter how she got here, and that I’ll do anything for her.”

Burt smiled. “For what it’s worth, son, you’ve got me on your side. You need any help makin’ things work out, you let me know.”

Puck stared at Burt in shock for a moment before he managed to gather his wits enough to speak. “I— Thank you, sir. That means a lot to me. Really.”

“Least I can do,” Burt said gruffly, looking down to stab a bite of Danish with his fork. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Kurt as happy as you make him.” He looked up again and met Puck’s gaze, smiling slightly. “I’d have to like you for that, even if you didn’t remind me a hell of a lot of myself at your age.”

Puck watched Burt eat, surprised and feeling kind of light-headed. “I do?”

Burt nodded, chewing and swallowing before he spoke. “Yeah, I got into more trouble than I should have as a teenager, and I sowed more than my fair share of wild oats too before I finally convinced Kurt’s mom to go out with me. It’s pure luck I didn’t end up with a kid at sixteen myself.”

“I’m seventeen,” Puck said quietly. “Eighteen in July.”

“I was a senior and had just started dating Kurt’s mom when I was your age,” Burt said with a nod and a slightly wistful expression. “We didn’t have near as many years together as we wanted, but what we had were all good ones.”

“That’s all anyone can really ask for though, isn’t it?” Puck asked softly. “To make the best of what you have while you can?”

Burt nodded. “It is.” He smiled. “Which is why I’ve been trying so hard not to stand in Kurt’s way with you. I believe you really do care about him, son, and I know he’s head over heels for you. Most parents would probably fight it more, I guess, especially with you having a kid on the way and all, but it’s enough for me that you’re making him happy. I lost his mom way too soon, and I can’t guarantee he’ll have fifty years ahead of him to enjoy what you two have, so I can’t see asking him to wait.” He let out a little snort of a laugh. “Well, not for long, anyway. I get the feeling he’s not too thrilled about waiting a week, even.”

Puck grinned. “He’s not, but he’ll wait anyway because I gave you my word.”

“And I appreciate it,” Burt said quietly, smiling. “He told me you put the brakes on last night, which I figure is more than most boys your age would do in your place. I’ve seen how you look at him, and I wasn’t really expecting you to be the one saying no.”

“I don’t want to screw this up,” Puck said with a little bit of a shrug. “I want to do this right so we can make it last.”

“Kurt said as much,” Burt said, looking pleased. “How long do you have in mind, son?”

“Forever would be nice,” Puck admitted with a little wistful smile. “I know I’m not supposed to want that because of my age or whatever, but I love him so much that I can’t help it. I’ve done the sleeping around thing, getting laid anytime I wanted, but that’s not important to me anymore. I just want to take care of Kurt and be a good dad to my baby girl.”

Burt reached over to put his hand on Puck’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze as he murmured, “I hope you get it, son.”

“Thanks, sir,” Puck said as Burt pulled his hand away, not really sure why he was blushing again. “So do I.”

Kurt hurried out of the basement with his messenger bag over one shoulder, smiling as he moved quickly to kiss Burt’s cheek again and then patted Puck’s shoulder. “Time to go, sweetheart. I’ll see you after school, Dad. The girls are coming over for a movie night and sleepover, so we’re driving the Navigator today.”

“Make sure Noah’s pickup is parked out of the way,” Burt replied, amused.

Puck quickly stood up then, digging his keys out of his pocket to drop them on the table. “Here’s the keys if you need them, sir. Carole’s car is still behind the Ram, so I parked over on the grass again like Kurt did last night.”

“Thanks, son.” Burt smiled at Puck and then looked towards Kurt again, asking, “You two planning to eat dinner with us tonight?”

“Noah probably won’t be with us, but the girls and I are going to stop by the store on the way home and get something to fix,” Kurt said quickly, smiling. “We’ll have rotisserie chicken and a nice stir-fry or something quick and easy like that. It’ll depend on what we’re in the mood for when we get that far. You and Carole are welcome to join us, if you want. We don’t mind cooking for two more.”

“I’ll let Carole know,” Burt said, smiling. “Enjoy your day, boys.”

“We will,” Kurt said cheerfully, grabbing Puck’s hand to tow him towards the front door.

Puck laughed and waved to Burt, letting Kurt drag him out of the kitchen. “Have fun tinkering today, sir.”

“Always,” Burt agreed with a slight laugh, and then Puck and Kurt were out of the kitchen and heading for the front door.

Puck followed Kurt willingly enough out the door and across the yard to the Navigator, amused by him being in such a hurry but not arguing at all. Kurt was a slow eater a lot of the time, and Puck thought it would be nice if they had time to relax over breakfast. Quinn was going to eat breakfast with his mom and Sarah, though she wanted him to bring her some bacon when they picked her up, so they didn’t have to hurry to get her, at least.

Kurt stopped when they got close to the Navigator, giving him a sweet smile as he offered him the Navigator’s keys and asked quietly, “Would you like to drive?”

“Sure, babe,” Puck said with a soft surprised laugh. “Playing with other people’s toys is always fun.”

Kurt smiled wider and rattled the keys. “So take these and go get in, then.”

Puck grinned and took the keys, leaning in to kiss Kurt soundly before he started around the front of the Navigator, thumbing the door locks. “Anything you say.”

“That’s a wonderful attitude, I like it,” Kurt said cheekily, climbing into the Navigator easily and then closing his door.

Puck opened the driver’s door and got in, putting the key in the ignition as he looked over to watch Kurt plug in his iPod, amused. “Wanting some tunes already, huh?”

Kurt gave him a quick smile as he nodded. “Just for background noise.”

Puck chuckled and reached to put on his seatbelt, then closed the door and looked back over at Kurt again, smiling as he started the Navigator.

Kurt was playing with the iPod, finding the playlist he wanted, and then a moment later he smiled and put it down in the center console as a song Puck didn’t recognize began to play softly. Kurt leaned to put his messenger bag in the floor behind his feet and then reached for his seatbelt, not looking at Puck as he said, “We can go, sweetheart.”

“Where am I headed?” Puck asked, turning to look back behind the Navigator as he started to back out of the driveway.

“The only places that are really open this early are Sonic and the café,” Kurt said quickly, turning back towards Puck to smile at him. Puck knew Kurt wasn’t a fan of Denny’s, and he didn’t need to ask why Kurt didn’t consider the diner out by the truck stop as an option. It could be a little rough even by Puck’s standards, and he knew Kurt avoided that part of town completely. “They’ve got a nice breakfast menu at the café, but I’m not really sure it’s your speed.”

“I’d rather eat in the car, if you don’t mind,” Puck agreed, smiling at Kurt as he shifted into drive again. “We’ve got some things we need to talk about, babe, and I’m not sure we want to do that with an audience.”

“Sonic, then,” Kurt agreed, his smile fading.

Puck started the Navigator forward and then looked at Kurt as he reached for Kurt’s hand, concerned. “We can eat at the café if that’s what you want, I don’t mind.”

“No, Sonic’s fine,” Kurt said quickly, taking Puck’s hand in both of his. “I don’t care where we eat.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Puck asked quietly, still concerned.

Kurt hesitated, just looking at Puck a moment before he said softly, “I got the feeling last night that you weren’t too happy with me for suggesting you go out with Dean.”

Puck blinked, surprised. “I’m … sorry?”

Kurt looked a little nonplussed. “Watch where you’re driving.” Puck looked obediently at the road and then Kurt went on, “Well, you did say we need to talk about things we wouldn’t want to discuss in public. I just thought that was what you meant.”

“Well, it kind of is,” Puck agreed as he glanced at Kurt and then back at the road. “I’m not screwing around with _anyone_ unless you’re completely sure that’s what you want, baby. I mean, sure, I’d like to know what I’m doing before _we_ go that far, but I can drive into Dayton to get a couple of movies or something if that’ll make you feel better about it.” He looked at Kurt again, adding more softly, “I really _do_ want to be faithful to you.”

“I don’t expect that from you,” Kurt said with a soft little smile. “Not until we start having sex. I know you’re used to getting laid fairly often, and I don’t want you torturing yourself for me.”

“I haven’t gotten laid in a couple of weeks, babe,” Puck admitted quietly, looking at the road again. “Girls at school just don’t interest me much anymore, and I quit doing cougars. The last time was with a lady who wanted something I won’t do, and it kinda turned me off of selling my dick, unless something happens and I have to.”

“What did she ask you to do?” Kurt asked, stroking the back of Puck’s hand slowly with one hand while he held Puck’s hand tightly with the other.

“She wanted me to let her husband join in,” Puck said simply, flushing. “She offered me double the usual, and said some things when I refused that made me really _think_ about the whole cougar thing.” He paused, not wanting to go on, but something made him do it anyway as he admitted softly, “I don’t really want to be their whore anymore.”

“Oh sweetheart,” Kurt murmured, squeezing his hand. “You weren’t anyone’s whore, you were just having fun and happened to get paid for it.”

Puck snorted, not looking at Kurt even though he was holding Kurt’s hand tightly. “I was, babe. I was a cheap rentboy that did pools on the side.” He let out a little huff of a laugh even though he really wasn’t very amused, adding, “And in the morning I’ve got to go play pool boy and explain to the seven ladies that scheduled me this weekend that I’m not offering any other services anymore. I figure they’ll be pissed just like the ladies last week were, but they’re just going to have to deal with it. I’m not going to ask you to share me with anyone, especially them.”

“Dean is different, though,” Kurt said gently, still stroking Puck’s hand. “He’s one of your best friends, and one of _my_ best friends, and I trust him to take care of you.”

Puck looked at Kurt in surprise. “Take care of me?”

Kurt nodded, smiling and a little amused. “Sex with a man isn’t going to be the same as it is with a woman, sweetheart. There’s a good chance it will hurt from what I’ve read, and it could go horribly wrong if you tried it with someone that didn’t know what they’re doing. I definitely wouldn’t be encouraging you to pick up just any guy and let them top you, but I think that Dean will make sure you enjoy it. He’s really sweet, no matter how well he hides it behind how tough he is, and he likes you a lot.”

“Huh.” Puck looked ahead of the Navigator again, pulling up to a light and then stopping before he looked at Kurt. “So, you’ve really thought about this?”

“Yes, I have,” Kurt agreed, nodding. “You want to be experienced when we have sex the first time, and from some of the stories I’ve read on the subject, I think it’s probably a good idea. Dean is the only one I know that has experience and cares enough about you that I would trust him to help you with that, and I _know_ you and he are attracted to each other.”

Puck stared into Kurt’s eyes, searching them for any hint that Kurt was unhappy about the idea, but he didn’t find it. Kurt was smiling and calm, even a little amused, and after a few moments Puck finally looked back at the road to make the turn onto the highway that led towards the Sonic that was just a mile or so away. “Alright. If Dean agrees, I’ll go out with him tonight while you’re busy with the girls.”

Kurt squeezed his hand and murmured, “Just promise me you’ll remember that you don’t have to do _anything_ with him if you don’t want to, okay sweetheart?”

Puck flushed again, not looking at Kurt as he admitted, “Not wanting to won’t be a problem, babe. The closer I get to him, the more I wonder what it would be like.”

“I had a feeling that was how it was,” Kurt said, sounding amused. Puck looked at him in surprise and Kurt smiled, teasing gently, “I’ve seen how you watch him sometimes, but I wasn’t sure you could admit it to yourself, much less me.”

Puck let out a surprised little laugh. “I didn’t really _notice_ it until yesterday.”

“Noah,” Kurt said, laughing softly. “Sweetheart, _I_ noticed you wanted him the day we _met_ him.”

Puck smiled, feeling kind of wry as he slowed the Navigator to turn into the Sonic parking lot. “I’m a little slow on the uptake about stuff like that sometimes, babe. It took me a few _months_ after I joined Glee to realize I was watching you all the time, and weeks after that to admit to myself _why_.”

“Well, it was a big change for you,” Kurt said quietly, still sounding amused. “You didn’t know you were bisexual then.”

Puck pulled into a parking spot and put the Navigator in park, then turned towards Kurt again. “But see, it’s not really like that for me. I mean, sure, I see a guy sometimes and think he’s kind of hot, but I hardly ever _want_ a guy besides you.”

“Even in the locker room?” Kurt asked, looking kind of surprised.

Puck shrugged one shoulder. “I see dudes naked every day, but I’ve never wanted any of them.”

“Seriously?” Kurt asked, wide-eyed. “You’ve seen _Mike_ naked and didn’t want him?” Puck nodded, amused, and then Kurt said, “You _must be_ straight.”

Puck laughed. “Mike’s got a perfect bod, babe, I got to agree with you there, but I don’t want to jump him or anything. He’s not you.”

Kurt stared at him for a moment, looking surprised still as he asked quietly, “And Dean?”

“He’s not you either, babe,” Puck said quickly. “I mean, sure, knowing him like I do, I’d kind of like to spend an hour or two finding out if he’s as much fun in bed as I think he is, but it’s not like I pop a boner every time I get near him. I never met _any_ guy that could make me embarrass myself in public except you.” He paused and then added truthfully, “Well, unless Dean’s dancing all up on me like he had to do when I helped him get the choreography for today, but I would have had the same problem dancing with Santana with that choreography, and I am so not ever going down that road again.” He shrugged, giving Kurt a smile. “You’re different. I can’t help it anymore when I see you walk into a room. I want you the moment I see you, and half the time when you’re not even around, but I just don’t react that way to other guys, whether they’re naked or not.”

Kurt blushed suddenly but he smiled, looking pleased as he murmured, “You should do that tonight, sweetheart. Spend and hour or two with Dean finding out what he’s like in bed, I mean. I won’t get jealous or anything about it, I promise. I’ve known for a very long time that sex and love are not the same thing.” He smiled a little wider. “Though I _do_ want you to tell me about it and satisfy my own curiosity about him. I don’t react physically to other men very often either, but that doesn’t mean I don’t notice them. I’ve just gotten very good at not … being _obvious_ about it.”

Puck looked into Kurt’s eyes for a few moments and then smiled. “Alright, babe. If he’s up for it, anyway.”

“He will be,” Kurt said with a soft laugh. “I’ve seen how he looks at you.”

“I haven’t noticed, I guess,” Puck said, feeling a little surprised but definitely pleased.

Kurt grinned and patted his hand. “I noticed for the both of us.”

Kurt leaned towards him, obviously wanting a kiss, and Puck was happy to oblige. It started almost chaste, just a soft press of lips, but then Kurt’s lips parted, one hand lifting to Puck’s jaw as he licked at Puck’s lips softly. Puck let out a low purring growl as he accepted Kurt’s invitation, their tongues sliding together as they deepened the kiss to something a lot less innocent.

It kind of amazed Puck how much he enjoyed making out with Kurt, but even that was nothing compared to the simple fact he didn’t really mind that they weren’t having sex yet. It wasn’t something he was used to – he used to break up with any girl who didn’t put out by the second date, except for Mercedes because he had been kind of sure she’d kill him if he even thought about sex around her – but he loved that there was a lot more than sex between him and Kurt. With Kurt he could enjoy whatever they were doing together, even if they were just holding hands or something equally innocent, and not feel frustrated like he often had when a pretty girl wouldn’t put out. The only girl he had ever felt such a connection with was Quinn, and even with her it was different.

Quinn was Puck’s best friend and someone he loved, sure, but everything he felt for her, even the way he used to want her, paled in comparison to what he felt for Kurt. Kissing and touching Kurt was better than it had ever been with _any_ girl, almost even better than _sex_ , and yeah, okay, Puck might be jerking off a few times a day because he couldn’t stop thinking about Kurt, but when he was actually _with_ Kurt he didn’t have much trouble behaving himself. He hadn’t ever been the one slow things down before, but with Kurt it felt like the right thing to do. He _wanted_ to go slow for Kurt, wanted to make everything perfect for him, and he could tell Kurt wasn’t really ready for sex yet no matter how horny Kurt might get when they were making out.

The need for oxygen finally forced them to pull apart to breathe, and Kurt’s blue eyes were sparkling and bright with happiness and love as he gave Puck an impish little smile and murmured breathlessly, “I think if we don’t order breakfast soon, we’ll forget about it altogether.”

Puck grinned. “You say that like it would be a bad thing, babe.”

Kurt giggled, blushing slightly. “It would! I’m _hungry_.”

Puck smirked, letting his gaze fall to Kurt’s lips, which were reddened and wet. “Me too, now that you mention it.”

“For _food_ ,” Kurt added with a soft laugh, pointing towards Puck’s window with his free hand. He was still holding Puck’s right hand with the other hand, but Puck really didn’t mind at all. He had always liked holding hands with Quinn, but Mercedes and Santana had never really encouraged it, so it was kind of awesome to him that Kurt liked holding hands with him. “Figure out what you want, so we can order.”

Puck snickered. “Okay, babe.” He leaned to kiss Kurt lightly and then turned towards the window, reaching for the button to run it down as he scanned the menu to refresh his memory and see if they had changed anything in the last two days. They hadn’t really, except for adding a new flyer for the nightly brown bag special to the menu, and after only a moment he looked back at Kurt. “You know what you want?”

Kurt nodded, smiling and looking happy. “Yes, I do.”

“Cool,” Puck said, leaning to push the button and then waiting for someone to take their order.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

 

 

Kurt had just finished the assignment in World Geography and was looking in his bag for a book when his cell phone began vibrating. He shifted to dig it out of his back pocket, having to squirm a bit because his jeans were rather tight, and when he saw Tina’s name on the text he quickly tapped the button to accept.

‘ _kurtsie wtf is up wit karof? k ran frm me n rt b4 school n now he just trip on finns big feet & SAID SORRY!_’

Kurt bit his lip to keep from laughing as he typed, ‘ _dean told him to be nice to us gleeks_.’

‘ _seriously??_ ’

‘ _yes! i saw it. dean scared k so bad k pissed his pants_.’

‘ _wow!!!!!_ ’

‘ _it was awesome_ ,’ Kurt agreed, amused. ‘ _dean’s a bamf_.’

‘ _we gt 2 do smtng nice 4 d_.’

‘ _i would suggest a song_ ,’ Kurt typed, smirking. Dean was going to turn fifty shades of red and try very hard to melt into the floor, Kurt was sure, but he kind of loved the idea of them all singing to him.

Dean definitely deserved the praise, and a sincere thank you from them all, but especially from Kurt. Kurt had no doubt that Dean had saved his life, though he had been trying hard for Noah’s sake to pretend he didn’t believe that. Kurt couldn’t deny it to himself, though, especially after the night before. He had been awakened twice by violent nightmares that left him shaking and crying, and he knew from experience that wouldn’t be the last of them. No matter how safe he might feel in his own home when he was awake, he knew the debilitating fear he had felt when Karofsky threw him into the bathroom wall would return as soon as he drifted off to sleep.

‘ _yes! mst tlk 2 evr1_!’

“Kurt, please put that away,” Mrs Johnson said suddenly, making Kurt look up quickly to see she had finally looked up from her book. “You know I don’t allow texting in my classroom.”

“But I finished my work first,” Kurt said quickly, hoping she’d allow it.

“Put it away, Kurt,” Mrs Johnson said firmly. “Now.”

“Yes ma’am,” Kurt agreed with a sigh, looking down to tap out, ‘ _go 4 it i gtg’_ and hit send before he turned off his phone and then put it back into his back pocket.

“Thank you,” Mrs Johnson said then, and a glance at her told Kurt she was already reading again.

Kurt made a face in her general direction and then opened his messenger bag again, hoping he had left that copy of ‘ _Pride and Prejudice’_ in there that he was supposed to read for English. It only took Kurt a few moments to see that the book wasn’t there, so he got out his nail buffer and sighed as he settled in to just wait out the end of World Geography.

‘ _Pride and Prejudice’_ was boring enough that Kurt didn’t really want to read it, especially since he had seen no less than three versions of it on film, but he wanted to keep his 4.0 average so he intended to read it anyway. He had near-perfect grades in English, and he didn’t want to risk changing that by doing something so stupid as not reading a book that they had been told would be covered in the test next Friday.

Kurt had a modest college fund, enough to pay for four years of schooling easily if he lived at home and worked part-time to pay for his textbooks, but he also had a good chance at a full scholarship if he could keep his grades high enough. A full ride to college for Kurt would make it much easier for Noah to attend school with him, so that was Kurt’s new goal. Kurt had always intended to make excellent grades if he could, but it was even more important to him after he had spoken to Noah during breakfast that morning about college and their plans for the future.

Kurt had been delighted by how easily Noah had agreed to take some college classes if that was what Kurt and Carole wanted him to do, but Noah had quickly qualified it by saying he would only go if they could find a way to do it that wouldn’t involve Burt paying his way. Kurt had asked if he was allowed to pay Noah’s tuition, and explained about his college fund, and Noah had agreed that would be alright as long as they could work out a way for them _both_ to go to school without borrowing more money from Burt. He didn’t want Burt to feel responsible for paying his way for anything, and he was adamant that he wouldn’t go if it would cost Burt a penny that wasn’t already set aside for Kurt’s college.

Kurt agreed quickly, as much because he was willing to agree to almost anything to get Noah to go to college as because he agreed that it shouldn’t be his dad’s responsibility to pay for Noah to go. He had asked Noah what kind of classes he might like to take, and Noah had actually thought about it for a few minutes before he said he’d like to take some business classes and enough automotive classes so that he could give Burt a hand at the garage, and Kurt had happily latched onto the idea.

Burt was most definitely working too hard in Kurt’s opinion, and Kurt thought that Noah working at the garage would be a perfect fit because Noah and his dad got along so well. Burt usually had one or two college guys working for him during the school year, but he always let them go for the summer so Kurt could take their place on the payroll. Burt had stopped buying Kurt just anything and everything he wanted when Kurt turned fourteen, but he paid Kurt the going rate to work as a mechanic when Kurt had time for it, and Kurt could easily make enough over the summer to pay off his credit card bills and start the next school year’s clothing budget with some left over.

Kurt had been investing his surplus income carefully for the last year under the guidance of the family accountant, and the returns on his investments were always split evenly between his college account and a savings account he kept for emergencies, like finding an irresistible Marc Jacobs sweater that fit him perfectly. Kurt seldom tapped into his savings for more than a few hundred dollars, and he never touched the college fund at all, but it would still be a stretch for him to attend school full-time and be able to pay tuition for himself _and_ Noah. If Kurt’s schooling were paid for by a scholarship, though, the money his dad had set back for college would be more than enough for Noah to attend college with him.

Kurt was sure he could talk Burt into putting Noah on the payroll at the garage for the summer, which would let Noah stop cleaning pools altogether and make them both much happier because they would be together. Noah actually seemed excited by the idea of being a professional mechanic like Burt, so Noah’s current lack of knowledge about fixing cars didn’t worry Kurt in the least. He knew Noah was intelligent enough to pick up a lot just by watching him and Burt while they worked, and thought Noah would be doing simple procedures on his own after just a few days of being their gopher.

Changing the oil or putting new tires on a car wasn’t a difficult job, after all, and having Noah there to do the easier jobs would free up Kurt to concentrate on more difficult repairs and allow Burt to really take some time off for the first time in a long time. The only time Burt had left Kurt in charge alone had ended with Kurt bruised and a bit shaken because a walk-in customer had gotten belligerent over a bill and shoved Kurt around before a long-time customer and friend of Burt’s happened to come in and put the guy in his place. Kurt had tried to tell his dad that he wasn’t afraid to be in charge of the garage alone afterwards so Burt could take time off every once in a while without having to close the garage, but Burt wouldn’t hear of it.

Kurt was sure that he could convince his dad to take some time off if Noah were working with him, though. Noah was definitely impressive enough to keep any disgruntled customer in line, and Burt obviously trusted him with Kurt’s safety, so there would be no excuse for Burt not to leave them in charge. Kurt planned to enlist Carole in a crusade to get Burt to actually take a few days off that summer to go fishing or even take a nice trip. Kurt knew that Carole would love to be able to travel with his dad, and once Burt was convinced that Kurt would be safe with Noah, Kurt planned to make it happen even if he had to buy them the tickets himself.

Kurt and Noah could easily handle the garage without Burt’s help that summer, and Beth could stay in the office during the day without too much trouble so Quinn wouldn’t be forced to be the mom she really didn’t want to be. Noah and Kurt would likely have Sarah with them most days, and Kurt thought she was old enough to keep an eye on Beth in the office while he and Noah were busy. Sarah was a smart, responsible girl, and she worshipped Noah, and she knew how important Beth was to him.

Noah gave Sarah an allowance out of his own money for helping out around the house, and Kurt knew that it was Sarah’s only source of spending money because Nancy barely made enough to pay all of the household bills. Sarah was getting to the age where she wanted to go out and do things with her friends more often, and it was hard to do that on twenty dollars a week. Kurt was sure Sarah would be more than happy to play babysitter as soon as she found out the office’s computer was less than a year old with DSL internet access, and that Beth would sleep most of the time. The chance to earn a little extra money by babysitting and helping out around the office would be too good for Sarah to pass up, especially since Kurt intended to pay her to do something he was sure she would have done for free to help Noah.

The bell rang suddenly and Kurt looked up, surprised that he had gotten so lost in thought. The rest of the class hurried to grab their books and leave, but he didn’t bother to hurry as he began getting his things together. He had promised Noah he wouldn’t walk the halls alone at all anymore, and he didn’t want to worry Noah by stretching his word so soon. He could have gotten away with it if Dean was in World Geography with him, or if he had thought to ask Mike, who was always one of the first out of the door, to wait for him, but Mike was already gone so he was just going to wait.

“You gonna be okay, Kurt?” Sam asked suddenly, making Kurt turn his head in surprise to see Sam walking towards him from his chair at the back of the room. “By yourself, I mean?” Sam added more softly, blushing a bit but looking concerned as he resettled his books under one arm. “I’m not as tough as Dean or anything, but I could walk you to the music room, if you want.”

Kurt smiled, pleased. “Thank you, Sam, that’s really sweet but I’ll be fine. Noah will be here in a minute.”

Sam smiled at Kurt and shrugged one shoulder, still blushing as he looked down. “It’s on my way to Biology.” He paused slightly and then added, “And Dean really likes you, I know he wants you to be safe.”

Kurt picked up his books and stood, smiling at Sam. “I will be, I promise.”

Noah leaned in the doorway of the classroom then, grinning and looking pleased with himself, his backpack slung over one shoulder. “You done here, babe?”

“Yes, I am,” Kurt said, giving Noah a quick smile before he looked back at Sam, impulsively reaching out to give Sam’s free hand a squeeze. “Thank you for offering, Sam. It means a lot to me.”

Sam blushed even redder, smiling even though he looked really embarrassed as he squeezed Kurt’s hand and then let go. “Uhm. Yeah. Okay. You’re welcome.” He nodded to Kurt and then hurried out of the classroom, smiling shyly at Noah on his way by.

Kurt walked to the door, amused and wondering if Sam might not be a little bisexual himself. He had done a lot of blushing for a straight boy, even one that was talking to someone like Kurt, and always seemed particularly shy around Noah, though Sam usually tried harder to hide it. Kurt had noticed Sam watching Noah a lot at dinner the other night, and he had caught Sam at it a few times since then.

“What was that all about, babe?” Noah murmured when Kurt reached him, offering Kurt his elbow as he turned to walk out of the classroom with him.

Kurt happily took Noah’s arm with his free hand, walking with Noah as he looked at him, amused. “He was offering to walk me to class. Evidently he thinks I need a bodyguard.”

Noah laughed slightly, looking surprised but pleased. “I knew I liked that kid.”

Kurt smiled and bumped his hip against Noah’s, teasing, “Karofsky _runs from me_ now, sweetheart, and his meathead buddies are all leaving me alone because of whatever he told them, so I’m perfectly safe.”

“I’m not taking chances on that,” Noah said quietly, moving his free hand to cover Kurt’s hand on his arm. “And you promised to listen to me about this. If you’re not with me, you’d better be with Dean, Finn, or Mike, or in a classroom with a teacher nearby.”

“How about Sam?” Kurt asked, looking at Noah as they rounded the corner to go to his locker.

“Sam’s a good kid, but no,” Noah said, his expressive hazel eyes serious as he met Kurt’s gaze. “I’m sure he’d try, but he’s a twig and barely your size, and he’s kind of a geek on top of that. Any of those meatheads would probably beat him to a pulp if he got in their faces trying to protect you.”

Kurt looked into Noah’s eyes for a moment and then murmured, “I’m okay, sweetheart. Karofsky didn’t really hurt me.”

“I saw the bruises, babe, so please don’t lie to me,” Noah said gently as they stopped at Kurt's locker. “I _know_ he hurt you, and the fact you not only accepted it but say it’s nothing tells me he’s probably hurt you a lot more than I knew about.”

“I told you I bruise easily,” Kurt said softly, gazing into Noah’s serious hazel eyes instead of opening his locker. “I’m not lying when I say they don’t usually hurt, I promise.”

Noah looked into his eyes for a moment and then reached past Kurt towards his locker, changing the subject. “What’s your combination, babe?”

“My birthday,” Kurt murmured, deciding to let it go. “Month, day, and then last digit of the year.”

Kurt was about to tell Noah the exact date when Noah started spinning the combination lock, making his eyes widen as he watched Noah unlock it faster than Kurt could. Kurt just stood there and stared as Noah pulled the locker open, still surprised as Noah met his gaze again.

“How do you know my birthday?” Kurt asked softly. “I’m fairly certain that Quinn doesn’t know it, and I’m not sure even _Mercedes_ does.”

Noah blushed a bit and shrugged one shoulder, reaching to take Kurt’s World Geography book. “It’s an important day to me.”

Kurt watched Noah put the textbook in his locker and then take out the Calculus textbook he would need third period, Noah didn’t need any prompting to reach for the Psychology book and spiral Kurt would need for fourth, and as Noah settled the books under his arm, Kurt said softly, “I know yours too.”

Noah closed the locker and gave Kurt a sweet, loving smile. “I should probably be surprised, but I’m not.” He slung one arm around Kurt’s shoulders and started him moving back down the hall as he added, “We better get a move on, or we’re gonna be late for Glee and make everyone panic.”

Kurt let out a soft little laugh and let himself be hurried along when he finally noticed that the halls were emptying quickly as people went to class. “Don’t want to do that, for sure. Dean would likely lead a search party after us.”

Noah snickered, nodding. “With Mercedes and Quinn right behind him, and Mike and Santana behind them, and probably even Finn bringing up the rear because Rachel shamed him into it.”

Kurt’s lips twitched at that mental image. “You’re so mean.”

“Nope, just refreshingly honest,” Noah countered quickly, smirking.

That was why Kurt was giggling when they walked into Glee, only to stop and stare in surprise.

Tina was pushing Dean down into Schuester’s swivel chair near the piano as she said happily, “Just, sit _right there_ and listen.” Dean looked bemused and kind of confused while Tina looked over at Noah and Kurt, beaming as she said, “Come on! We were about to start without you.”

“Keep your panties on, woman,” Noah said with a laugh. “I told you I’d make sure he got here in time, damn.”

Finn was already at the drums waiting patiently with a grin on his face, and Artie had one of the electric guitars, and everyone else was gathered together rather like they had been when the group decided to sing ‘ _Lean On Me_ ’ to Finn and Quinn, months ago. Everyone looked happy and a little excited, and several people were holding sheets of paper that Kurt supposed were probably the lyrics of the song.

Schuester walked in the other door then, looking harried as he said, “Hello, everyone. Talk amongst yourselves, I have to do something real quick.” He didn’t wait for an answer before he disappeared into his office just as the late bell rang.

Kurt laughed and looked at Noah as he let Noah push him towards the others. “In time for what?”

“Singing to Dean, of course,” Noah said with a smirk. He moved to the cabinet where he kept his guitar when he had it at school, digging in his pocket for the key to the cabinet that Schuester had given him and then reaching to unlock it as he added, “Now get over there with Quinn while I grab my guitar.”

Kurt snorted and continued over to stand by Quinn as he muttered, “Don’t get used to me doing as I’m told.”

Quinn giggled and reached for Kurt’s hand to give it a squeeze, brown eyes sparkling, and Kurt couldn’t help but smile back at her.

Dean spoke up suddenly, asking, “You’re gonna do what now?”

Kurt looked at Dean and saw that he was blushing very red and looking kind of surprised as he watched Noah shrug into the strap on his guitar. “Sing to you,” Noah repeated, giving Dean a cocky little grin.

“It was Kurt’s idea,” Tina said happily as Dean just stared at Noah in shock. “He let us pick the music, though.”

Brittany hurried over to Kurt with a piece of paper then, beaming as she offered it to him. “Sanny printed copies for us! Puck said he knows it, but we didn’t know if you do, and he didn’t get to read how Mercedes and Rachel split the parts yet, so you get to share with him. He can’t hold it while he plays.”

“Thanks, Boo,” Kurt said, giving her a quick smile as he took the sheet of music.

Brittany beamed and kissed Kurt’s cheek lightly. “You’re welcome!” She hurried back to her usual spot in the back with Santana.

Noah walked over to stand near Kurt, looking at everyone. “We ready to go?”

“Of course!” Rachel said quickly, beaming.

Noah grinned and started picking out an intricate melody that Kurt thought sounded even better than the original, and Finn and Artie joined in as Kurt moved the sheet music so Noah could see who had what parts. Noah let out a soft little laugh when he saw he was to start the song, grinning at Dean as Kurt turned his attention towards Dean too, wanting to see Dean’s reaction.

“ _Too alarming now to talk about_ ,” Noah sang softly, playing the song’s melody flawlessly. “ _Take those pictures down and shake it out. Truth or consequence, say it aloud. Use that evidence, race it around.”_

The next part was marked for both of them, so Kurt began singing with Noah, smiling. “ _There goes my hero. Watch him as he goes. ... There goes my hero, he's ordinary.”_

Dean was blushing very red as he smiled shyly at Noah and Kurt, but when Artie and Tina picked up the next verse Dean dragged his attention to them. “ _Don't the best of them bleed it out? While the rest of them peter out.”_

Rachel, Santana, and Brittany picked up there. “ _Truth or consequence, say it aloud. Use that evidence, race it around.”_

Everyone joined in for the next chorus, singing to Dean, who was still red-faced and starting to look embarrassed and awed as his gaze roamed over the group. “ _There goes my hero. Watch him as he goes. ... There goes my hero. He's ordinary.”_

Noah and Artie both paused there, waiting three beats of Finn’s drums before they went on and played a short instrumental that started soft and easy but got louder and more complicated until Noah finally looked at Quinn with a grin and a little nod.

Quinn smiled happily and sang, “ _Kudos my hero, leaving all the best_ ,” and then Mercedes joined her for, “ _You know my hero, the one that's on_.”

“ _There goes my hero. Watch him as he goes_ ,” Noah sang with a sweet smile for Dean, who looked awed and shy as he stared at Noah, smiling softly.

The way Dean and Noah looked at each other was rather transparent to say the least, but Kurt was fairly sure no one would comment on it. Everyone knew they were close, but Noah was very taken and Dean was sort of dating Quinn, so Kurt was confident their obvious affection for each other could be passed off as friendship. Noah and Finn used to look at each other in much the same way, after all, and there had never been anything but a very close friendship there, even though Kurt wondered sometimes if that was the way Noah had really wanted things to be.

“ _There goes my hero. He's ordinary_ ,” Kurt repeated when it was his turn, smiling as Dean’s gaze suddenly met his. Dean still looked shy and awed and was smiling softly, and the look in his green eyes made Kurt feel warm and happy.

“ _There goes my hero_ ,” the girls all echoed, making Dean look around again to watch them. “ _Watch him as he goes_.”

The boys all picked up the last line, singing together, “ _There goes my hero. He's ordinary.”_

Noah played for a few more moments as Dean’s gaze drifted back to him, and then Noah, Artie, and Finn let the music trail off as Noah smiled at Dean and said quietly, “Thanks, Dean.”

Dean was blushing very red and looked down with a little laugh as he ran one hand through his hair, embarrassed but smiling and looking kind of awed and happy.

Schuester suddenly started clapping, making everyone look towards his office in surprise. “Wow, guys, that was _awesome_! What brought that on?”

“We just wanted to thank Dean for making the jocks leave us alone,” Rachel said quickly, and when Kurt glanced at her he saw she was beaming. “Nobody has gotten slushied since yesterday at lunch, and we’ve all been allowed to go to classes without any trips into the dumpster or being knocked around.” She turned her beaming smile on Dean, adding, “It’s been _lovely_.”

“Nobody has pushed me down the stairs yet today or flushed my glasses or my homework just because they could, either,” Artie added, smiling as he put the electric guitar back on the stand by his chair. “And Tina hasn’t been harassed at all.”

“Thank you, Dean,” Tina added, beaming at Dean. “It’s so nice not to have to _hide_ when someone in a letterman jacket walks past.”

Dean stood up, looking uncomfortable and still blushing very red as he started to move towards his usual chair and said gruffly, “None of you kids should’ve been gettin’ treated like that to start with. It’s way past time somebody put a stop to it.”

“Everybody take a seat,” Schuester said then, and everyone started moving.

Kurt took a seat next to Dean and Noah sat by him, but they were both surprised when Quinn didn’t sit by Noah. She walked over and sat down at Dean’s other side instead, pulling her chair against his so she could cuddle with him.

Dean looked a little surprised but glad too as he wrapped his arm around Quinn’s shoulders and kissed her temple lightly, and Kurt found himself wondering if Dean really _wanted_ Quinn. Dean and Quinn were quickly growing closer, but something about the way they acted with each other made Kurt think they would never get past kissing. Dean treated Quinn much the same way Noah did except for making out with her, and Kurt was starting to think that Dean might feel the same way about her. Noah loved Quinn quite a lot, but he wasn’t _interested in_ Quinn at all anymore. Dean never failed to be sweet to Quinn, and he was glad to hold her and even kiss her as long as Quinn made it plain she wanted him to, but Kurt hadn’t really seen any heat between them, just a lot of affection.

Schuester just stood at the front of the class watching and waiting until everyone settled down, and then he moved over in front of Dean. “I have to thank you too, Dean,” he said with a wry little smile that looked just a little sad to Kurt. “I’ve tried talking to Figgins about the bullying, but he always refuses to do anything about it because no one got hurt.”

Noah snorted, making everyone look at him. “No one got hurt, my _ass_. Kurt’s _covered_ in bruises, Mr Schue, and they’re not all from yesterday morning. Karofsky and his buddies have been a menace for a long time, especially to him.” He flushed, looking kind of disgusted with himself as he added, “I know, ‘cause I used to help them do it. They hurt people _every day_ , and it hasn’t _stopped_ because Dean took Karofsky down and put the fear of God into him. They just left the gleeks alone and switched over to Jacob’s freak patrol.”

Schuester sighed, looking even unhappier as his smile disappeared. “I know, Puck. I stop it whenever I see it, but that’s about all I can do. Most of the faculty refuses to admit it happens, and Figgins won’t do anything until one of the victims comes forward with proof it’s happening. Too much of the school’s income comes from the athletic programs, and he is all about the bottom line unless someone gets hurt.”

“So what, it’s just hopeless?” Quinn asked, frowning.

Schuester looked kind of pained. “If you have any ideas, Quinn, I’d love to hear them. I’ve tried talking to Figgins repeatedly, and I walk the halls between classes whenever I can to try and stop some of it, but there’s not really anything else I can do right now. None of the kids I see getting bullied are willing to stand up and say it happened in front of the principal, and without that I just can’t _make_ Figgins fix anything.”

“They won’t go to Figgins for the same reason I’ve refused when you encouraged me to, Mr Schue,” Kurt said quietly, meeting Schuester’s gaze when the man looked at him in surprise. “They know that if they did, they would be signing their death warrants. I’ve known better than to turn someone in for bullying me since I was third grade. It never _really_ stops because of a trip to the principal, and what a bully does after you get them in trouble is always _much_ worse than whatever they were turned in for.”

Everyone was silent for a minute or two before Quinn said quietly, “At least we know _you_ care, Mr Schue.”

“It would just be nice if the other teachers did, too,” Tina added, sad and subdued. “If they all watched the halls between classes, it would stop.”

“Yes, it probably would,” Schuester agreed quietly. He took a deep breath and then obviously made the decision to change the subject, forcing a smile as he said, “So, I didn’t plan anything today because I want you all to relax a little before the assembly next period. This _is_ Glee club, so of course we’re going to sing, but today it’s your choice. What would you guys _like_ to sing?”

“How about ‘ _What It Feels Like For a Girl_ ’?” Noah asked, making Kurt look at him quickly in surprise. Noah still had his guitar and was looking around at the others with a little smirk. “It’s been a while since we did that one.”

“Dude, seriously?” Finn blurted, looking surprised. “You want to actually sing _that one_ in front of the girls?”

“I’m not afraid,” Noah said quickly, still smirking.

“Last time you hated it,” Finn pointed out, “and that was just us guys.”

“Last time I was still trying to be the meanest badass in the school so people would respect me enough not to mess with me,” Noah countered, looking a little more serious. “It’s a good song, I just wasn’t about to admit that in front of _anyone_.”

Kurt reached over to put his hand on Noah’s knee, giving it a squeeze as he looked at Finn and said firmly, “But he’s grown up since then, Finn.”

“Being a dad will do that to you,” Quinn added quietly, one hand resting on the upper curve of her belly as she turned to look at Finn. “We’re not the people we were then anymore, Finn, but I like myself a lot more than I used to, and I know that Noah is a lot happier with himself now, so I think we’ve both changed for the better.” She looked around at everyone. “I bet you’ll all agree, if you really think about it.”

Everyone fell silent then and the quiet dragged on for several minutes before Schuester said quietly, “I’ve still got the sheet music, if you _all_ want to do it.”

Kurt looked around, watching as the others looked at each other and then Mike said, “It’s a good song.”

“And the girls can help this time,” Artie added, smiling.

“We will be your back up singers,” Rachel announced, beaming. “Just this once.”

“Yeah, let’s go for it,” Mercedes added, smiling. “I always wondered what you guys sounded like singing that one. Kurt told us it was awesome.”

Schuester laughed and stood to move towards the shelves where he kept the stacks of sheet music he had printed off. “Wonderful! Puck, you can play accompaniment for us, since Brad’s with the band kids today.”

The band was off at a state competition that Kurt truly hoped they did well at. Brad was the teacher for the jazz band elective class, but he was also the band’s mentor and friend and Kurt suspected that at least a few of the kids considered Brad to be like a father to them. Brad seldom talked unless someone praised ‘his’ kids, but Kurt had heard him gush over them when Schuester congratulated him after the kids won a regional championship not too long ago. They were all fantastic in Kurt’s opinion, and he knew that how well they had done in competition was important to them, even if most of them never spoke to anyone outside their tight-knit little group for more than a few minutes at a time.

“Sure,” Noah agreed easily, turning to look over his shoulder at Finn. “You gonna take the drums, Finn?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Finn agreed just a little reluctantly, getting up to move back towards the drums.

“I can play it, too,” Artie said, reaching to pick the electric guitar up again.

“That’ll be great,” Schuester said brightly, starting back towards the group with a sheaf of sheet music. “Lets go over it quickly to block it out, and then we’ll see what it sounds like with everyone.”

Kurt accepted the sheet music when Schuster offered the stack to him, taking the top three and then passing the rest back to Mercedes before he passed two of the ones he had taken to Dean.

Noah moved his guitar aside and shifted a little closer, his arm slipping around Kurt’s waist, and Kurt impulsively turned in his chair to lean back against Noah’s chest. Noah shifted again to get a bit more comfortable and then relaxed, and Kurt let out a happy sigh that he could barely hear himself, but the way Noah’s arm tightened around him told him Noah had heard him. Noah kissed the side of his neck softly and then rested his chin on Kurt’s shoulder, relaxing with a soft little hum that sounded kind of happy as Kurt rested his cheek against Noah’s shorn scalp.

Kurt smiled as he waited for everyone to begin parceling out parts, pretending not to see the covert glances that people were giving him. Nobody looked unhappy about the way they were cuddling, not even Schuester or Finn, so Kurt didn’t really mind if they wanted to look.

Of all the things Kurt loved about being part of New Directions – and the list was a long one, to be sure – he was starting to realize that what he loved most was the fact that he and Noah could simply be together and none of their friends would mind. Touching Noah was addictive for Kurt and it seemed like every time they were together it made him want to touch Noah even more, so he was very grateful that their friends were so quietly accepting of it, and that Schuester just smiled and pretended not to see it when Noah or Kurt broke a school rule or two and cuddled or even kissed.

Glee truly was Kurt’s favorite time of his school day, and in third place as his favorite time of day overall. The only times he loved more were breakfast with his father, and seeing Noah’s sweet smile when Noah sauntered in first thing in the morning to brighten his day. Someday he hoped that Noah wouldn’t have to leave anymore, but he was sure that the first time he saw Noah smile in the morning would still be one of his favorite times, whether he woke up to Noah in his bed or not.

That sweet, loving smile Noah gave him while he said good morning made Kurt feel like his heart was going to burst out of his chest, and left him feeling happy and loved for hours.

 

~*~

 

Puck was out of Biology 2 within moments of the bell ringing, trotting down the hall towards Kurt’s Psych class, which was almost on the other side of the school. Dean was in Psych with Kurt for fourth period so Kurt was perfectly safe, but Puck still wanted to see him and walk with Kurt to his locker. He might even carry his books if Kurt let him get away with it.

Quinn was doing her homework and was going to wait for them to get back since the Biology room was close to their lockers, and then they were all going to head out to the Impala to go get some lunch. Quinn wanted to go to the café downtown and Kurt had happily agreed with her when she texted him the idea, so Puck had resigned himself to eating a burger that was tasty, but not nearly as delicious as Sonic’s food.

Puck would have just stopped at Sonic if it was anyone else wanting him to eat the café’s good-for-him organic food, but Kurt had sent him a text asking him to eat with them and Puck was toast. He loved making Kurt happy, and eating lunch with him was what Puck wanted to do anyway, so he’d tolerate the organic low-fat beef-like substance on bread that looked and tasted kind of like toasted cardboard. Kurt had been eating Sonic with him, after all, and Puck knew that Kurt seldom ate there by choice, so it was Puck’s turn to eat somewhere for Kurt.

Puck rounded a corner and then grinned when he saw Kurt and Dean walking towards him, both of them snickering about something. Rachel was right behind them talking to Finn, who looked kind of confused, and then Finn said something and both Rachel and Kurt started giggling while Dean looked over his shoulder at Finn, grinning widely. Puck had no clue what Finn had said because he had never learned to read lips, but whatever it was must have been particularly stupid to get Kurt and Rachel giggling so hard.

Kurt saw Puck then and his eyes lit up as he beamed and handed Dean his books without even asking, ignoring the other kids in the hall as he practically ran to Puck to throw his arms around Puck’s neck as he murmured, “Thank you for coming to lunch with me, sweetheart.”

Kurt pulled him down into a kiss without giving Puck a chance to reply, but Puck didn’t really mind at all as he wrapped his arms around Kurt with a pleased little hum and deepened the kiss. Kurt made a happy noise and his lips parted as his tongue flicked out against Puck’s lips, then Puck was licking into Kurt’s mouth and growling softly at the strong flavor of cinnamon red hots as he wondered if Kurt had any left. They were Puck’s favorite candy, and the sweet, spicy bite added a little something extra to Kurt’s kisses even though Kurt seriously didn’t need any help to be amazing.

Dean snickered next to them after a few moments, patting Kurt’s shoulder lightly as he said, “You two have fun, kiddo. Quinn and I will meet you at the car.”

Kurt gigged slightly and pulled away from Puck, staring up into his eyes as he said breathlessly, “We’re coming, Dean.”

Puck smirked a bit at that and Kurt blushed as he obviously realized how that sounded, but before he could say anything Dean was already speaking up.

“I got that impression already, kiddo,” Dean pointed out with a laugh, continuing off down the hall. “Just don’t take too long, or you’ll be stuck with Sonic for lunch.”

Rachel and Finn stopped by Puck and Kurt, and Rachel reached out to put her hand on Puck’s arm, obviously wanting him to pay attention to her. Puck dragged his gaze away from Kurt to see Rachel was beaming at him while Finn just looked kind of blank. “I’m so proud of you, Noah,” Rachel said softly. “I just wanted you to know that.” She stretched up to kiss Puck’s cheek lightly, and then dragged Finn off down the hall as she added more loudly, “You’ll want to hurry, Kurt, or you won’t have time to wait for your order at the café.”

“She’s right,” Kurt agreed, sounding amused and happy. Puck looked at him to see Kurt was still beaming with just a hint of blush along his cheekbones. “We _should_ hurry, I already texted Michaela and reserved us a table, but we’ll want to have time to eat, too. Quinn is really craving their tuna salad for some reason.”

Puck turned back towards the way he had come, grinning as he draped his arm around Kurt, pulling Kurt in close to his side as they started walking. “She can’t blame that one on me. I hate tuna.”

Kurt laughed, sliding his arm around Puck’s waist and tucking his fingers into Puck’s front pocket on the other side. “She’s always loved tuna salad, sweetheart.”

Puck snickered. “I know, I think she learned it from Carole, but that wouldn’t keep her from blaming it on me. She’s been saying it’s my fault every time she wants raspberry swirl ice cream, even though I hate raspberries and hardly ever eat ice cream.”

Kurt laughed and teased, “Poor picked on Noah.”

Puck snorted, grinning. “You have no idea, babe. She’s a terror when she wakes up at three in the morning craving something we don’t have in the house. I can’t count how many trips I’ve had to make to Denny’s for bacon in the wee hours of the morning, or corn dogs, or even fried catfish from the truck stop’s diner one time.”

“Oh my god,” Kurt said, giggling. “You actually go get whatever she wants?”

“Well, yeah,” Puck said, letting out a surprised little laugh. “Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do? I mean, it _is_ my fault she’s pregnant.”

“I don’t agree, but lets not argue about that again,” Kurt said quickly as they got close to the Biology classroom, looking very amused. “You spoil her shamelessly, sweetheart.”

Dean and Quinn were leaving the classroom as they reached it, and the halls had already emptied out enough that Quinn heard Kurt’s comment, which made her laugh as she said quickly, “You had better not be talking bad about me, Kurt.”

Kurt gave her a bright, angelic smile as Dean and Quinn fell in next to them to continue towards their lockers. “Would I do that?”

Quinn laughed. “Yes!”

“In a heartbeat,” Dean added, snickering.

Puck snickered. “Sounds like they know you pretty well, babe.”

“Well, they should,” Kurt said as he looked back over at Puck, amused. “They are our best friends.”

Dean blinked, obviously surprised. “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously,” Quinn said immediately, swatting Dean’s shoulder lightly. “We adore you, dumbass.”

“We being the three of us, of course,” Kurt added, smiling at Dean.

“What about Mercedes?” Dean asked Kurt, still looking surprised and kind of shy. “I thought she was your best friend besides Quinn.”

Kurt smiled a little wider at Dean. “Mercedes is still one of my best friends, of course, and so is Tina, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be as well, Dean. I’d trust you with _anything_.”

Puck was sure that Kurt was referring to him after their conversation early that morning, and it didn’t surprise him that Quinn and Dean both seemed to come to the same conclusion, glancing at Puck before they looked back at Kurt. Puck hadn’t really even considered the possibility Kurt might get protective of _him_ , but he was beginning to realize that Kurt definitely was. He didn’t _need_ Kurt’s protection, of course, but knowing that Kurt cared that much about him was kind of awesome.

Dean gave Kurt a sweet, kind of crooked smile as the expression in his greenish hazel eyes shifted to something gentle and warm. “I—  Thanks, kiddo. That means a lot to me.”

Kurt smiled, reaching behind Quinn to put his hand on Dean’s shoulder as they reached Quinn’s locker. “You don’t need to thank me, sweetheart.”

Puck’s eyebrows went up slightly at Kurt calling Dean sweetheart, but he grinned anyway because he was glad Kurt liked Dean so much.

Dean was blushing as he separated Quinn’s books from Kurt’s Psychology textbook and spiral, passing Kurt’s things over to him as he murmured, “Go put your books away, kid.”

Quinn giggled, working the combination on her locker as Kurt grinned impishly at Dean and teased, “Yes sir, Mr Winchester.”

Puck and Quinn both laughed at that while Dean said, “Alright then, _Kurt_. Still, go away, you bother me.” He said it with a grin, making it plain that he didn’t mean it.

Kurt laughed again as he continued down the hall with Puck, saying cheerfully, “Bite me, Dean.”

“Only in your better dreams,” Dean said quickly, making Quinn giggle as he put her books away.

Kurt just laughed instead of replying as he and Puck stopped at Kurt’s locker, and Puck worked the combination quickly as he decided he and Kurt really had to talk about just exactly how _Kurt_ felt about Dean. He had only heard Kurt call three guys ‘sweetheart’ before, so he figured Kurt must like Dean an awful lot to include him in that tiny group. Burt, Mike, and Puck had all proven to Kurt that they accepted him freely exactly as he was and weren’t afraid of him being affectionate with them, though Burt was often embarrassed by it, but Puck had never heard Kurt call any other guy sweetheart unless Kurt was trying to piss them off.

Even _Finn_ wasn’t someone Kurt felt he could trust enough to relax and be affectionate with him, despite the fact he was Kurt’s quasi-stepbrother. Puck knew why Finn didn’t get that level of trust from Kurt, though, and he tended to agree even though it hurt him to admit it even to himself. Finn’s tendency to act like a homophobic ass around Kurt had hurt Kurt more deeply than any of Karofsky’s much more physical bullying, and Puck would rather have Kurt avoiding Finn than being hurt by him, however accidentally.

Puck had just recently threatened Finn with bodily harm because he saw Finn make Kurt cry, and he fully intended to kick Finn’s ass if it happened again, brother or not, but he was also sure that Finn would make the short list of men Kurt truly trusted some day. Finn was a good guy, he just didn’t think before he spoke a lot of the time, which made him seem a lot more obnoxious than he really was. He was scared enough of Puck to think a little more before he spoke to Kurt now, at least most of the time, so it _was_ getting better, but Finn still had a ways to go before Kurt would be able to trust him fully.

Actually, once Puck was really thinking about it he realized that so far that day Finn had been kind of awesome, so much so that Puck had forgotten a couple of times that Finn didn’t like him anymore. It was unexpected, but very welcome as far as Puck was concerned. He had missed hanging out with Finn like he would miss his favorite guitar if something happened to it, and he still hoped that someday they could be best friends again.

Kurt tucked his Spanish and Political Sciences textbooks into his bag and then closed his locker again and reached for Puck’s hand, smiling at him as they walked towards Puck’s locker, which was about twenty feet further down and across the hall. “What are you thinking about?” Kurt murmured, looking curious.

Puck laced his fingers with Kurt’s, giving him a crooked little smile and hoping that Dean and Quinn wouldn’t hear him as he replied quietly, “Finn, and how he’s been acting today.”

Dean and Quinn didn’t seem to hear him as they passed by heading towards the parking lot, and Puck was glad to hear the door at the end of the hall close behind them a moment later. They were his best friends, yeah, but there were still some things that he just didn’t talk about with them, especially Quinn. She had her own regrets where Finn was concerned, and Puck tried hard not to bring them up where she could hear him.

Kurt smiled, bumping his shoulder against Puck’s as he leaned in closer. “I think he’s starting to really forgive you.”

Puck smiled a little wider as they stopped at his locker, turning towards Kurt and leaning close to him as he murmured, “I hope so.” He kissed Kurt softly, loving the way Kurt hummed happily and leaned into it as Puck took a moment to savor the way Kurt tasted. Puck pulled away after a few moments and then let go of Kurt’s hand so he could open his locker as he added in a more normal tone, “Do you happen to know what’s going on in Algebra 2 today?” He looked at Kurt as he took his World Geography and Biology books out of his backpack, hoping Kurt knew so he wouldn’t have to bother showing up to class.

Kurt looked amused. “Hopefully what’s going on is you’re actually going to class for a change.”

Puck blinked, surprised. “But I _hate_ that class, babe, and it’s not like my grades are bad or anything ‘cause I skip. Quinn turns my work in for me when she’s in there for Trig, and I show up for tests and stuff.”

“I know she does, but your grades would be even better if you actually showed up to class every day,” Kurt pointed out with a wry smile. “Robertson marks you down fifteen points off the top for not showing up, I know, and you still manage to keep a B average. If you were in class, you’d have a high A. That might be important later, sweetheart.”

Puck looked at Kurt a moment longer and then reached for his Algebra 2 book and his notebook, not looking at Kurt as he stuffed them into his backpack and murmured, “I’m not going to promise to go every day ‘cause I hate it, but I’ll go today if it’ll make you happy.”

Puck put his Political Sciences book into his bag and then slung his bag over his shoulder again before he finally looked at Kurt, a little worried by how quiet Kurt was until he saw Kurt’s face. Kurt gave him a sweet little inviting smile as their gazes met, asking quietly, “Is there _anything_ I could do to make it worth your while to go to class every day?”

Puck blinked, his eyebrows going up as he closed his locker without looking away from Kurt’s blue eyes. “Are you offering what I think you’re offering, babe?”

“Not this week,” Kurt replied immediately, blushing slightly but looking amused. “Next week, though…”

“We didn’t promise not to do _anything_ ,” Puck pointed out quietly, smiling. “Just that you’d stay a virgin.”

Kurt looked surprised and then pleased. “Then yes, I am.” He moved closer to Puck, his hands lifting to Puck’s chest as he looked at his fingers, adding very softly, “We can have some privacy in the auditorium’s dressing room. No one is ever around there during lunch, and there’s a couch.”

Puck lifted his hand to Kurt’s cheek, tipping Kurt’s head up to make Kurt look at him before he murmured softly, “Babe, I feel kind of like an idiot, but I have to say no to that.” Kurt looked surprised and just a bit confused so Puck added softly, “You’re offering for all the wrong reasons. I don’t want you doing anything with me unless you _want_ to.”

Kurt’s surprised expression melted into a loving smile as he slid his hands up Puck’s chest to his shoulders and whispered, “Oh sweetheart, I _do_ want to, I promise you that. So very badly.” He blushed, looking just a tiny bit sheepish as he added, “I want you any way I can get you, whether you go to class or not. I just hoped that maybe I could offer a little extra incentive to tolerate Robertson for forty-five minutes a day.”

Puck smiled, feeling relieved as he ran his thumb along Kurt’s cheek and murmured, “If it’s really that important to you, babe, I’ll go to class. You don’t have to bribe me with sex.”

“What if I _want_ to … bribe you?” Kurt asked, smiling and looking happy. “I was looking forward to it.”

Puck smirked. “Then we’re gonna be skipping lunch a lot.”

Kurt laughed softly and his hands moved up to the back of Puck’s neck, tugging him down into a kiss that started out gentle and loving but quickly grew more intense. Puck loved kissing Kurt, loved how eager Kurt was and how he responded instantly to the slightest flick of Puck’s tongue or brush of teeth against Kurt’s full lower lip, and it was very easy to get lost in kissing Kurt and how Kurt’s slim, muscular body felt pressed up against his. Kurt’s fingers were stroking and massaging Puck’s scalp, his hardening dick pressed against Puck’s thigh through the layers of their clothes, and Puck was enjoying it way too much to even consider stopping.

They had been standing there in the empty side hallway making out for a long while when Puck’s cell phone suddenly began vibrating in his pocket. It was the triple-pulse that he had set for texts from Quinn, who was safe with Dean, so he ignored it, his hands stroking slowly over Kurt’s denim-clad ass as he wished they were somewhere a little more private. Kurt was moving against him steadily, giving abortive little twitches of his hips that had them making soft little noises into each other’s mouths, and Puck was suddenly sure that if he could get Kurt behind a closed door Kurt would let him get him off.

Puck wanted to make Kurt come, wanted to watch him fly apart at the seams knowing that he would be the first person to ever do that to Kurt, but he wanted to keep kissing Kurt too much to do anything about it. Kurt was in his arms pressing him back against the lockers in an entirely awesome way, and Puck wasn’t about to end that for a _chance_ at getting Kurt somewhere private enough they could go farther. If he broke the moment he figured there was a decent chance that Kurt would ask him to do things Puck had to say no to, which had a habit of ruining the mood and always made him feel like kicking himself even though he was sure it was the right thing to do.

Puck’s cell vibrated again after a little while to signal another text from Quinn but he ignored it again, shifting his stance to pull Kurt a little closer and press their bodies together more firmly, which drew a breathy moan from Kurt as he tried to devour Puck’s mouth. Puck was happy to let Kurt take over, loving how aroused and needy Kurt was as they rubbed against each other, kissing hungrily.

Puck wasn’t sure how long it was before his phone started vibrating a third time, but he knew Quinn wouldn’t keep texting him unless she really wanted to get his attention. She knew he was with Kurt, which meant she knew what had most likely distracted them. Puck groaned softly as he reluctantly pulled away from Kurt, reaching for his pocket as he grumbled, “Every time.”

Kurt rested his forehead against Puck’s shoulder, breathing hard as he muttered, “If that’s Mercedes, I’m going to _kill her_.”

Puck snickered, flipping his phone open as he said, “It’s Quinn, babe.”

There were three texts pending, first, ‘ _we left without u 2’_ , and then, ‘ _d & me r eating_!’, followed by ‘ _i hope u 2 werent hungry :p’_.

Kurt lifted his head and tried to look at Puck’s cell, so he let Kurt have it and watched Kurt read the texts, amused. “You want her to bring you anything?”

Kurt checked the time on Puck’s cell before he gave Puck a wry little smile and passed the cell phone back to him. “I doubt I’d have time to eat anyway.”

“Probably not,” Puck agreed with a soft laugh, dialing speed dial one with his thumb and then putting his phone to his ear.

“My lunch is _lovely_ ,” Quinn said as she answered, sounding amused. “Something tells me you’re both going to get very hungry by dinner, though.”

“We haven’t got time to get there before we’d have to leave, and by the time you get back there won’t be time for us to eat, either,” Puck agreed, amused. “We’ll see you two later.”

“Have fun,” Quinn said teasingly, and Puck could hear Dean add in the background, “Don’t get caught!”

Puck laughed. “We won’t get caught. Enjoy your lunch.”

“Bye,” Quinn said cheerfully, and then she hung up.

Puck put his phone away again, smiling at Kurt as he murmured, “Now what, babe?”

Kurt smiled, pulling away as he grabbed Puck’s hand to tow him along behind him towards the storage closet where they had made out for the first time. “Now we have fifteen minutes to kill and I know _exactly_ what I want to do to you.”

Puck grinned, following Kurt as he teased, “Somebody forgot that I’m not going to break my promise to Burt _or_ let his first time be in a closet.”

Kurt turned to grab Puck’s other hand and then backed towards the storage room as he pulled Puck along by both hands, giving Puck a wicked little smile that made Puck want to eat him alive. “ _Somebody_ plans to climb his sweet, sexy boyfriend like a tree and kiss him until we both forget our names or the bell rings, whichever happens first.”

“Sounds like somebody’s got a lucky boyfriend,” Puck murmured with a smirk as Kurt’s back hit the wall by the storage room’s door.

Kurt let go of Puck’s hands, reaching up to pull his head down into a quick, hungry kiss, then he opened the door with one hand as he tucked his fingers into Puck’s waistband with a sexy little smirk. “Yes,” he murmured softly, opening the storage room and then backing into the darkened room as he tugged Puck along by his jeans. “And I’m even luckier.”

“Can’t agree there,” Puck disagreed softly, following Kurt inside and turning on the light before he closed the door behind them.

Kurt put his messenger bag on a shelf and then waited only long enough for Puck to drop his backpack before Kurt put his hands on Puck’s chest and was pushing Puck backwards against the door with surprising strength. Kurt’s hands moved from Puck’s chest up to the sides of his neck to pull him into a hungry kiss that made Puck groan softly into Kurt’s mouth.

Puck wrapped his arms around Kurt, stroking over the soft dark grey cotton covering Kurt’s back and then sliding down to run his hands over the tight denim covering Kurt’s ass, loving the needy little noise Kurt made as Kurt’s hips jerked towards him. A moment later he was running his hands down Kurt’s legs and hoisting him upwards as he turned them around to put Kurt’s back against the door, needing to feel Kurt pressed more tightly against him. Kurt made a happy noise into his mouth, teasing Puck with little flicks of his tongue as he wrapped his legs around Puck’s hips and locked his booted ankles together against Puck’s ass, thighs clamped tight against Puck’s sides.

Puck tried to be careful as he pressed Kurt between him and the door, not wanting to hurt him but loving the way Kurt felt writhing against him, Kurt’s talented hips constantly in motion against him in a way that made Puck truly regret promising not to fuck him for at least a week. Kurt tasted like a little piece of cinnamon-spiced heaven and the way he was moving made Puck have to fight not to let himself start thrusting against Kurt to get off. He couldn’t _wait_ until he got Kurt alone in Kurt’s bedroom sometime when they could get rid of the annoying clothes so he could really enjoy Kurt’s lithe body moving under him.

Kurt whimpered softly into his mouth, his hips starting to move a little more erratically, and Puck broke the kiss to whisper breathlessly near Kurt’s ear, “Let me suck you off, baby.” He nipped Kurt’s earlobe gently, making Kurt gasp. “You don’t wanna come in your pants and have to change clothes, I know.”

Kurt shuddered and went very still for a moment before he breathed out softly, “Please.”

Puck didn’t wait for a better invitation, turning to carry Kurt the three steps to the boxes stacked in the corner of the tiny storage room and then putting Kurt down on them as he murmured, “Just sit back and relax, babe. Let me take care of you.”

Kurt let go of Puck, letting his feet drop to thump against the boxes, and Puck had to take a moment to just stare at him. Kurt’s usually pale blue eyes had changed to a darker shade of blue, the pupils blown wide with need, and Puck thought he looked beautiful sitting there on the boxes breathing hard. Kurt’s hair was a mess because Puck had been running his fingers through it while they were making out, and his tight grey long-sleeved t-shirt had ridden up to reveal a narrow strip of pale skin above his black jeans that made Puck want to lick his belly.

Puck leaned in for another quick, hungry kiss and then gave Kurt a wicked little grin as he purred, “You’re gonna love this.” He didn’t give Kurt time to say anything else before he ducked and _did_ lick that tantalizing strip of pale belly, one hand sliding Kurt’s shirt up a little higher as Kurt arched with a low gasp.

“God,” Kurt breathed out huskily, one hand moving to the back of Puck’s head. “That feels good.”

Puck licked a slow stripe up the middle of Kurt’s smooth belly, loving the way he could feel Kurt shake and gasp, his skin fluttering against Puck’s lips and tongue. “You’re delicious,” he murmured against Kurt’s skin, pressing soft kisses along Kurt’s abs. Kurt’s skin was a little sweet with just a hint of salt as he began to sweat, and he tasted so good that it made Puck want to lick and taste every inch of him even though he knew that he didn’t have time to do it. He looked up at Kurt a moment later as he moved his hands to Kurt’s jeans to start unfastening them, loving how turned on and amazed Kurt looked. “And I’m just getting started.”

Kurt licked his lips, his gaze dropping to Puck’s hands to watch as Puck unbuttoned the fly of his jeans. “I may still come in my pants,” he admitted a little breathlessly, blushing as his gaze flicked up to Puck’s eyes again, a little shy but obviously very turned on. “I’m so hard it hurts.”

Puck smiled, straightening to lean in and kiss Kurt lovingly before he whispered, “I’ll just have to take care of that for you then, baby.”

Kurt shuddered slightly and whispered, “Only if you’re really sure you want to.”

“I can’t wait,” Puck murmured, kissing Kurt softly once more and then dropping to his knees as he tried to tug Kurt’s tight black jeans down a little. The denim clung to Kurt’s hips like the jeans had been spray-painted on, but Puck was afraid to pull too hard because he didn’t want to hurt Kurt, who already had entirely too many bruises to suit him.

Kurt moved to help him then, shoving at his jeans much more roughly than Puck had pulled at them, and then Puck groaned softly as the denim slid down finally and he saw Kurt’s underwear. Puck had kind of expected to find a pair of tight white briefs under Kurt’s jeans even though he had noticed on more than one occasion that Kurt didn’t have any obvious ‘panty lines’ under his skinny jeans, so seeing a black thong was unexpectedly hot. The material of the tiny black thong was completely filled by Kurt’s package and didn’t do much at all to hide it, but it did restrain Kurt’s dick in what looked to Puck like a very uncomfortable way. Kurt’s dick was forced downwards against his balls, and Puck had no doubt it probably did hurt, especially with the added pressure of Kurt’s tight jeans against it.

Puck was kind of surprised by how hot he thought Kurt’s thong was despite how uncomfortable it looked, and he didn’t stop to think even a little before he leaned in to nuzzle Kurt’s erection, barely even noticing the way Kurt shuddered and gasped. He trailed soft kisses along the silky sheer cloth covering Kurt’s dick as he inhaled Kurt’s scent with a low hum, a little surprised by how unique it was. Kurt’s dick didn’t smell anything like Puck’s own junk, but it didn’t smell like any girl he had ever gone down on either, despite Kurt’s tendency to use more lotion and hair spray than any girl Puck knew. He had vaguely expected Kurt’s dick to smell kind of flowery because of whatever weird body lotion Kurt was sure to use, but instead there was a strong hint of the same cinnamon and vanilla that Puck could always smell in Kurt’s hair, and something slightly musky that Puck couldn’t quite identify even through the scent fascinated him. Mostly Kurt just smelled like clean skin and _Kurt_ , completely unique and so intense that Puck knew he’d never forget it now that he knew it.

“Noah, stop,” Kurt whispered, making Puck look up at him in surprise. Kurt was trembling and he looked kind of wrecked, his blue eyes as dark and hungry as Puck had ever seen them. Puck found himself staring at the way Kurt’s tongue flicked out to lick his lips, leaving them shiny and wet as Kurt admitted huskily, “I can’t take much more.”

Puck smirked slightly at that, pleased that he affected Kurt so strongly as he purred, “Alright.” He looked down again, gently tugging the thong down to reveal Kurt’s dick, which sprang free as Kurt let out a little whining gasp and his hips jerked. Kurt was cut, like most guys Puck had seen naked, and Puck was a little surprised to realize that even though Kurt was delicate and kind of dainty in all the best ways, his dick was definitely not small. It wasn’t quite as thick as Puck’s dick, but the length was about the same, the shaft and head both flushed a deep pink with a hint of purple to it. “No more teasing,” Puck added, putting his left hand on Kurt’s hip to hold him down and then wrapping his right hand around Kurt’s dick to give it a slow twisting tug that made Kurt’s hips jerk again as Kurt let out a low strangled noise.

Puck glanced up to see Kurt was biting his lower lip, his eyes closed and his head tipped back. Puck smirked, looking back at Kurt’s leaking dick again and leaning to lick experimentally at the tip, letting out a low surprised noise when he realized Kurt’s precome didn’t taste at all like his own. He swirled his tongue against the slit then, gathering more of the slightly sweet fluid as Kurt’s body jerked and shuddered, then suddenly Kurt’s hand was on Puck’s mohawk as Kurt let out a little whine and gasped, “Noah! God! I’m—”

Puck smirked and took the head of Kurt’s dick in his mouth without any further hesitation, sucking as he flicked his tongue against the underside just below the swollen head like he liked girls to do to him, and Kurt let out a little gasping cry as his hips jerked. Puck held Kurt down as the crown of Kurt’s dick throbbed in his mouth, suddenly coating his tongue with Kurt’s come, salty and rich with just a hint of sweetness. Puck groaned as he started to swallow and stroked Kurt’s dick with his right hand, gently milking him for every drop.

 _Liking_ the taste of Kurt’s come wasn’t anything Puck had expected, but he did, and he was suddenly looking forward to making Kurt fly apart at the seams as often as possible. He loved the rush of power that sucking Kurt’s dick gave him as he made Kurt lose control so easily, and the fact that he liked the way Kurt tasted was just icing on the cake. Puck had never sucked anyone’s dick before, never even _wanted_ to suck off anyone else, really, but he had gotten a taste of his own jizz more than once, whether on his own fingers or in a girl’s mouth. He had expected Kurt to taste kind of bitter and sharp like he did, which really wasn’t anything close to Puck’s idea of delicious, so he was surprised to find out Kurt tasted so much better.

Kurt let out a soft little whine after a few more moments, his hands moving to Puck’s shoulders to try to push him away as he gasped, “Too much.”

Puck pulled his mouth off of Kurt’s dick with a soft wet pop to look up at Kurt, licking his lips slowly as he let go of Kurt’s dick to put his hand on Kurt’s bare hip. Kurt was staring down at Puck like he was the most amazing thing Kurt had ever seen, and Puck let out a quiet noise as he did a little staring of his own, fighting the urge to reach down and finish himself off. Kurt was sweaty and flushed with his lower lip swollen and red from biting it so hard, and he looked very well fucked in a way that pushed buttons Puck hadn’t really known he _had_.

They just gazed into each other’s eyes for a little while, neither of them moving as their breathing slowed, and then Kurt finally stroked Puck’s jaw and whispered, “That was… Wow.”

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Puck said softly, standing up again as he moved in close to Kurt, his hands slipping under Kurt’s shirt to stroke up his sides slowly. “And that was completely and totally beyond ‘wow’, babe. Seeing you fall apart like that, and knowing it was because of _me_ , was just…” He trailed off, at a loss for words to explain how he felt.

“Yes, it was,” Kurt agreed, reaching for Puck to pull him into a kiss. Kurt moaned softly into Puck’s mouth as they shared the taste of Kurt’s come, and Kurt licked and sucked hungrily at Puck’s lips and tongue like he wanted to devour him for several minutes before he suddenly pulled away, breathing hard. “Now it’s my turn.”

Puck kissed Kurt again and then murmured, “No babe, this time was about you.”

Kurt frowned, pulling back to look into Puck’s eyes as he blurted much more loudly, “Oh _hell_ no.”

Puck had to laugh, he couldn’t help it. Kurt sounded just like Mercedes when someone told her she couldn’t do something she wanted to do. “Babe, I’m so close I’m not gonna last long enough to make it worth the bother,” he explained, amused. “I’ll take care of it while you get ready for class.”

“ _I_ want to make you come,” Kurt said quickly, still frowning.

Puck looked into his eyes a moment and then smirked slightly. “I guess you can watch, if you want.”

Kurt’s eyes widened slightly but he didn’t hesitate to reply. “I most definitely do.”

Puck pulled away, backing up to lean against the door as he reached for his belt. “Okay.” He made quick work of opening the button front of his jeans and then lifted his right hand to lick his palm slowly as he stared into Kurt’s hungry blue eyes, loving the soft little noise Kurt made as he watched. Puck reached down to tug out his dick then, smirking as he murmured, “Next time I’ll let you return the favor, I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Kurt murmured faintly, his gaze intent on Puck’s hand as Puck began to stroke himself.

Puck had been watched while he touched himself before and it had always made him hot, but seeing how hungry Kurt looked as he watched, how obviously Kurt wanted to be the one touching him, made him feel like he was the sexiest thing Kurt had ever seen. Puck was already close, he hadn’t been joking about that even a little bit, and jerking off while Kurt was right there watching him definitely wasn’t going to make him last longer. Kurt looked like pure sex sitting there, obviously well-fucked with his dick still hanging out, and every fiber of his attention was concentrated on Puck’s dick while he licked his lips as if he wanted to taste it.

Puck ran his thumb over the head of his dick after the next pull, letting out a soft low growl at how the calluses built up from years of playing guitar without a pick felt against the sensitive crown with just precome and spit as lube. He rolled his hips to thrust into his hand again, his grip tight enough to be right on that edge between perfect and painful, and he groaned at how good it felt. He could feel his balls pulling in tight against the base of his dick and the building heat pooled low in his belly as he loosened his grip again and started to stroke a little faster, still watching Kurt intently as he tried to imagine how Kurt’s soft, slim hands would feel on his dick.

“So sexy it _hurts_ ,” Kurt breathed out softly, suddenly sliding off the stack of boxes to move towards Puck as his gaze flicked up to meet Puck’s for the first time since Puck dropped his jeans. Kurt seemed not to even notice his skinny jeans were still halfway down his thighs or the way his thong was bunched up against the underside of his dick, but Puck did and he was kind of amazed that Kurt could be so distracted by _him_ that Kurt forgot how he looked.

Puck stared into Kurt’s eyes, his hand slowing on his dick as he whispered, “You are.”

Kurt moved in close to him, pressing against Puck’s right side and putting his left hand low on Puck’s back to run his hand up under Puck’s shirt as he reached for Puck’s dick with the other hand, covering Puck’s fingers with a delicate hand that was as soft as any girl’s. He squeezed Puck’s hand gently, tightening their grip on Puck’s dick a bit as he whispered into Puck’s ear, “Come for me, Noah.”

Puck groaned and closed his eyes, hips jerking to thrust into their hands as his dick throbbed and then a moment later Kurt’s thumb was rubbing gently across the head of his dick and he came hard enough he saw stars. They stroked through the aftershocks together, their hands getting messy as jizz dribbled over their fingers to the floor, and then Puck finally slumped back against the door as he relaxed, shaking a little bit because of how intense that had been. Jerking off had stopped being the best thing he’d ever felt about the same time he stopped being a virgin, but jerking off with Kurt’s hands on him and Kurt’s body pressed close against him had been more intense than some actual sex Puck had had.

“So _fucking_ hot,” Kurt whispered, kissing his jaw and then pulling away slightly as he pulled Puck’s hand off of his dick, his other hand still under the back of Puck’s shirt, stroking slowly.

Puck looked at Kurt, his eyes widening a bit as he watched Kurt lift their hands so he could start to lick Puck’s fingers clean, his gaze never leaving Puck’s eyes. Kurt was making soft little hungry noises, and the way Kurt’s tongue was stroking and swirling against his skin as Kurt chased every hint of come with his tongue made Puck’s dick twitch as he gasped out, “ _Fuck,_ babe…” Kurt sucked Puck’s index finger into his mouth, his lips curving around it in a smile, and Puck groaned softly at the perfect suction and the way Kurt’s tongue danced along his finger, easily able to imagine how amazing that same mouth would be on his dick. “If you wanted to get me off so I didn’t end up going to class hard, you’re so fuckin’ that up right now.”

Kurt let go of his finger with a strangled little giggle, blushing as he murmured, “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Puck murmured quickly, leaning to kiss Kurt and then purring softly as he tasted his own come in Kurt’s mouth, which actually wasn’t that bad when it was mingled with the cinnamon of the candies Kurt had snacked on during fourth period. He finally pulled away after a minute or so, staring into Kurt’s shining blue eyes as he added, “That was _amazing_.”

Kurt smiled, looking happy and a little shy as he whispered, “It was.” He licked his lips, still blushing as he added, “And it’ll be even better when you stop being so damned sweet and let me suck you off like I want to.” He licked a little of Puck’s jizz off of his own fingers, making a low happy noise, then purred, “I know what I’m missing now, and I want to taste it right from the source next time.” He smirked slightly, looking suddenly wicked as he added, “I plan to make you forget _everything_ but how good my mouth feels on your cock, and then I’m going to swallow down every drop you’ve got to give.”

Puck swallowed hard, staring at Kurt as he whispered, “Damn, baby. Since when do you have such a dirty mind?”

“Since the first time you kissed me,” Kurt replied softly, smiling.

The sudden ringing of the bell that signaled the end of lunch period made them both jump and then Kurt’s eyes went wide as he blurted, “Shit!” He hurriedly licked his hand reasonably clean and then started to tuck his dick back into his tiny underwear as he asked, “Is my hair okay?”

Puck tugged his jeans upwards to button up and fasten his belt, grinning but feeling a bit sheepish as he admitted, “I might have messed it up a little.”

“How bad is a little?” Kurt asked, giving Puck a suspicious look as he did a fascinating little shimmy and dragged his jeans back up. Puck was too busy watching Kurt wriggle into his jeans to bother answering, and after a moment Kurt let out a little laugh. “Noah!”

“What?” Puck asked quickly, jerking his gaze up to Kurt’s face. “Oh. Sorry.  Uhm… It’s not _bad_ , but you’re gonna want to comb it or something.”

Kurt tugged his tight grey shirt back into place, smoothing the material carefully as he gave Puck a dirty look. “We are so going to have to talk about you touching my hair while we’re at _school_.”

Puck grinned, amused. “I can suck you off, but I can’t touch your hair?”

“That sounds like a good rule, yes,” Kurt agreed with a little bit of a laugh, blushing as he moved to take his bag off the shelf where he had put it when they went into the storage room. “I am in _desperate_ need of a mirror.”

Puck bent to grab his backpack off the floor, slinging it over his shoulder as he grinned. “There’s one in the bathroom just down the hall, babe. You’ll survive that far.”

Kurt gave him a dirty look, carefully smoothing his hair as best he could with his cleaner hand before he reached for the door of the storage room to open it as he said, “And you will no doubt insist on following me inside.”

“You got it, babe,” Puck agreed, grinning as he teased, “I need to wash my hands.”

Kurt blushed and opened the door, moving out into the hall without bothering to check if anyone was watching. “We both do.”

Puck followed him, smirking as he pretended not to see the way people stopped to stare all up and down the hall as he slung his arm around Kurt’s shoulders and leaned close to murmur into Kurt’s ear, “You know you loved it, even if I did mess up your hair.”

Kurt glanced at Puck, blushing darker but looking kind of shyly pleased. “Well, yes.”

Puck smirked and kissed Kurt quickly before he turned his attention forward so they wouldn’t run anyone over on the way to the bathroom. Kurt was kind of in a hurry, and Puck wasn’t about to try and slow him down. He knew it’d take Kurt a few minutes to be satisfied he’d fixed his hair, and they only had five minutes to get Kurt to Spanish class. Schue wouldn’t _want_ to do anything about Kurt being late, Puck was sure, but he also knew Schue would have to do something anyway because Schue couldn’t afford to show too much favoritism towards the gleeks. Lucky for them, the Spanish classroom wasn’t too far from their lockers, so it would take less than a minute to get there, giving Kurt a few minutes to get himself presentable again.

It wouldn’t matter if Puck was late to Algebra 2. Robertson was always so surprised to see him actually in class that Puck could walk in ten minutes late and get away with it.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

 

 

Kurt hurried into Spanish just as the late bell rang, turning towards Noah just inside the door as he murmured, “Thank you.”

Noah gave him a sweet, crooked little grin. “Anything for you, babe. Stick with Deano after class, okay? I’ll find you.”

Kurt smiled, feeling a rush of love and happiness as he nodded. “Promise.”

“Kurt,” Schuester said suddenly, sounding kind of exasperated. “ _Usted puede hablar con_ Puck _después de clase_.”

Noah grinned wider and kissed Kurt very quickly, then turned away without another word to start off down the hall at a fast trot towards his math class.

Kurt blushed as he turned away from the door to walk quickly to his usual seat by Mercedes, glancing at Schuester and then blushing even more as he saw Schuester looked unhappy with him. “ _Lo siento_ , Mr Schue.”

“ _Sólo tiene un asiento, por favor_.” Schuester waited for Kurt to sit down and then looked at the other students as he said, “ _Bien, la clase, hoy vamos a hablar de expresiones coloquiales_.” He turned away to start writing on the board quickly as he went on, “ _Saquen sus libros de texto y vaya a la página 319.”_

Kurt pulled his textbook and the spiral notebook he took Spanish notes in out of his bag, putting his bag in the floor under his chair before he opened the Spanish book. He had just opened his spiral and was about to start taking notes when Mercedes leaned in close and whispered, “What the hell were you _thinking_ , Kurt?”

Kurt blushed very red, looking at Mercedes a bit wide-eyed as he tried to figure out what to say, stalling as he whispered, “I have no idea what you mean.”

Mercedes stared at him, frowning as she whispered sharply, “You let him take your v-card at _school_!”

Kurt felt like his face was on fire as he looked down at his spiral, tearing out a sheet to write quickly on it, ‘ _I didn’t, Mercedes! Get your mind out of the gutter!’_ Kurt shoved the sheet of paper towards Mercedes, looking up to see what Schuester had written on the board and then starting to copy it into his spiral even though it didn’t really sink in.

Mercedes put the sheet of paper back on his spiral only a few moments later, making him glance at her in exasperation. She pursed her lips, looking annoyed as she nodded pointedly at the piece of paper, and Kurt rolled his eyes as he looked down. ‘ _Don’t lie to me, boy. You’re all sweaty and smell like sex.’_

Kurt felt his face heating up as he wrote quickly, ‘ _We DID NOT have sex! Just let it drop, this is not the time!’_ He pushed the note back towards Mercedes and looked up at the board again to find Schuester frowning at him as he leaned against his desk.

Kurt tried to quash a flash of panic as he hoped he hadn’t just been asked a question, trying to give Schuester a slight smile, and Schuester let out a sigh as he nodded towards the board. Kurt quickly followed his gaze and saw that Schuester had written their assignment on the board, and then he looked back at Schuester, feeling his face heat up as he mouthed, “Sorry, Mr Schue.”

Schuester looked kind of exasperated, moving over next to Kurt just as Mercedes put the note back on Kurt’s spiral, almost as if she _wanted_ Schuester to read it. Schuester leaned down close to Kurt’s ear, his gaze on the note that was sitting in front of Kurt as he whispered, “I know you’ll make an excellent grade without trying, but please at least _pretend_ to pay attention. I _don’t_ want to have to do something about you ignoring me in my own classroom, Kurt.”

Kurt nodded quickly, feeling like his face was on fire as he whispered, “I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

Schuester looked at Kurt for a moment and then whispered, “Thank you.” He moved away without giving Kurt a chance to say anything else, going back behind his desk to sit down as he said, “ _Recuerde que todo el mundo, tienes veinte minutos para leer el capítulo y contestar el cuestionario.”_

Kurt looked down to read Mercedes’ note finally, still blushing hotly, and when he saw what she had written he had to fight the urge to crawl under his desk and just _die_. ‘ _If you two got off – and you SO DID, so don’t lie!! – it counts as sex! You’re rushing into stuff fast enough it’s scaring me, Kurt. I know you love him, but it’s PUCK_ _and you need to not let him push you into things just because he thinks with his dick all the time!!_ ’

Kurt couldn’t leave it at that, no matter what he had told Schuester. ‘ _If it’s any of your business (and it is so NOT!!) he didn’t ask me for ANYTHING. It was my idea and the way he makes me feel is amazing, and if you DARE to give him any shit about what he did with me, I will not speak to you for a MONTH, I swear to Gaga!’_ Kurt passed the paper back to Mercedes, giving her a glare as he whispered sharply, “Now _drop it_.”

Mercedes stared at him a second and then looked down to read the note before she met his gaze again, looking a bit hurt. “I’m just _worried about you_ ,” she whispered, frowning.

“Don’t be,” Kurt whispered back quickly, looking back down at his Spanish textbook as he tugged it closer to start reading the chapter on colloquialisms. “I’m fine.”

Mercedes was very still for a few moments and he could feel her staring at him, then he heard the rustle of paper. She put the note back in front of him a moment later, folded so that there was only one message visible. ‘ _I hope you’re right, bb. I just don’t want to see you hurt. I don’t think he’d do it on purpose, but he doesn’t always think before he does stuff._ ’

Kurt looked at Mercedes, letting out a sigh when he saw how unhappy she looked. “Noah won’t hurt me,” he whispered softly, reaching for Mercedes’ hand. “He _loves me_ , ‘Cedes.”

Mercedes gave his hand a squeeze, but she didn’t look convinced as she whispered, “If you say so.”

Kurt gave her hand another squeeze. “We can talk about it more tonight,” he whispered. “Okay?”

Mercedes nodded, giving him a weak attempt at a smile before she pulled her hand away to reach for her Spanish book.

Kurt turned back to his textbook to start reading, hoping that he could concentrate well enough to make sense of the chapter. Twenty minutes wasn’t long to read it and answer the questions at the end, especially as distracted as he was feeling. He started reading the chapter on colloquialisms, but he didn’t get far at all before he got lost in thought instead, staring sightlessly down at his book.

Kurt and Noah had done things together in the last half hour that Kurt had only dreamed about before, and Kurt had loved every second of it, but sitting there in Spanish class he realized that he probably should have listened to Noah and waited a bit longer. Kurt didn’t regret what he had done with Noah, not even a little, but he did wish they had been able to stay together afterwards. If Kurt had waited until he and Noah were alone in his bedroom to storm Noah instead of doing it in the middle of the hallway at school, Noah would have still been holding him and Kurt was pretty sure that Noah probably would have let him do anything he wanted to do instead of backing away.

Still, Kurt didn’t really regret what they had done, or even that they had done it in a dingy storage room. What he _did_ regret was not making sure they were out of that storage room before the bell rang. Dozens of people had seen them leaving the tiny room together, and after Kurt had seen himself in the mirror when he reached the girls’ bathroom down the hall, he had been mortified. Seeing his reflection had made him realize just how debauched and freshly-fucked he looked, and he had been beet red as he scrubbed his hands and then splashed cold water on his face and put himself back together as best he could while Noah waited patiently just outside the door.

Kurt _knew_ that it was going to be common knowledge by the end of the day that he and Noah had sex in a closet during lunch, whether it was strictly true or not. He had most definitely looked the part, even though Noah wasn’t nearly so obviously affected by it, and he was sure people were talking about it right that moment. Kurt’s girlfriends were sure to interrogate him unmercifully about it on the way home and probably for much of the evening as well, which was going to be less than pleasant, to say the least.

The worst part was that it was all Kurt’s fault and he knew it. Noah would have never crossed the line from making out to sex if Kurt hadn’t tried so very hard to get Noah aroused enough to forget about everything but how much they wanted each other. Noah loved him, Kurt was completely certain of that whether Noah had been able to say the words yet or not, and he never asked for anything more than Kurt wanted to offer. Noah was happy just to hold Kurt and kiss him, he had already proved that repeatedly, and Kurt was sure that Noah would have spent the last hour the same way if Kurt hadn’t wanted so much more.

Kurt had been the one to push things over the line so he would just have to live with the consequences. It could have been something just between them, something private and special that he could have kept to himself until he was ready to share it, but instead _everyone_ knew and most of them were sure to comment on it. It was still special, of course, and something that Kurt would never forget, but he wasn’t going to push Noah any more at school if he could keep himself from doing it. Noah’s instincts on the subject had been right, no matter what Kurt thought he wanted, so he was going to have to try harder to listen when Noah tried to slow him down a little.

A hand landing on his shoulder suddenly made Kurt jump in surprise, dragging him out of his thoughts to look up. Schuester was giving him a concerned look as he leaned down and murmured, “You haven’t turned a page in five minutes, Kurt.”

Kurt felt his face going very red as he whispered, “I’m sorry. I just—I really _am_ sorry, Mr Schue, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I keep getting distracted, thinking about...” He flushed even more as he trailed off, not quite able to say he was thinking about Noah and sex, and then he remembered that Schuester had read the note so he likely didn’t need Kurt to draw him a picture anyway.

Schuester looked at him for a moment and then gave Kurt’s shoulder a squeeze as he smiled, looking a bit wry. “I doubt there’s anything _wrong_ , Kurt. You’re just, well, _distracted_.” He smiled a little wider, looking kind of amused suddenly. “It happens to us all, I promise.”

“Evidently so,” Kurt murmured, grateful that Schuester wasn’t angry with him even though he knew he deserved to be in trouble.

Schuester patted Kurt’s shoulder. “I’m not grading the questions, but I would appreciate if you at least tried to get them done.”

“I will,” Kurt agreed quickly, still blushing.

Schuester nodded and then moved on past him, walking along the rows as he often did to check how far along everyone was on the assignment.

Kurt tried to get a hold of himself, taking a deep breath and then letting it out before he looked back down at his Spanish book and really tried to read the assignment. The last thing Kurt wanted to do just then was class work, but was determined to get his assignment done anyway because Schuester was being so nice about him being a flake, and because it was only fair that he should do his work. Noah had gone to math class for him for the first time in weeks, after all, and Kurt knew Noah would pay attention and actually do the class work for the simple reason Noah had said that he would, so Kurt could do no less.

Kurt spent the next thirty minutes concentrating on nothing but Spanish and actually managed to catch up and then held his own during the discussion after most everyone had completed the class work. Schuester seemed pleased that he had caught up so well, anyway, and by the time the bell rang Kurt was feeling much more settled and back to normal. He closed his textbook and his notes, putting both into his bag before he looked at Mercedes to say something, and then he just sat there and stared as he saw she was leaving the classroom already.

A hand landed on Kurt’s back again a moment later as Dean asked quietly, “You okay, Kurt?”

Kurt looked up at Dean, forcing a smile as he nodded and then got up out of his chair. “Yeah, I’m fine. Mercedes is just a little upset with me, I think.”

Dean gave him a crooked little smile, moving his hand to the small of Kurt’s back to give him a gentle push towards the door. “She’ll get over it. Y‘all are too close to fight for long.”

“I know,” Kurt agreed softly as he let Dean guide him towards the door, very conscious of Dean’s hand still resting just above the waist of his jeans and the fact Schuester was watching them. “She thinks Noah and I are moving too fast.”

Kurt wasn’t really used to anyone touching him except for Noah, Mercedes, Quinn, and Brittany, and only Noah ever touched the small of his back the way Dean was doing. Dean’s hand was warm and strong against his back through the thin cotton of his shirt, and Kurt was kind of surprised to realize he could tell it wasn’t Noah touching him just by the feel. Dean had smaller hands and wasn’t quite as careful as Noah was, so his hand was pressed just a bit more firmly against Kurt’s back than Noah ever did, Dean’s thumb stroking absently as they walked together.

Dean snorted, amused. “You two are going about as slow as you can stand to, from what I’ve seen. It’s not like you’ve been making like bunnies all the time.” Kurt felt his face heating up at that and Dean chuckled, leaning closer to his side as he murmured teasingly, “Besides, everyone’s got to get their first blowjob sometime.”

“Oh my _God_ ,” Kurt blurted, feeling like his face was on fire as he stopped to stare at Dean. “How did you _know_?!”

Dean smirked, infuriatingly smug. “Mostly because you just told me.”

Kurt pretended not to hear the little snort of a laugh Schuester tried to stifle as he turned to keep walking out of the Spanish classroom, beet red. “I can’t _believe_ I fell for that.”

“Me either,” Dean agreed, snickering.

“Oh, shut up,” Kurt muttered, still blushing very red as he walked quickly towards his next class, not really surprised at all that Dean stayed at his side. Dean had been pretty protective of Kurt since he found Karofsky manhandling him, and Kurt had no doubt that he was completely safe anytime he was near Dean. Dean made him feel almost as safe as Noah did, in fact, which Kurt was grateful for even though he hadn’t expected it at all. Dean was sweet and funny and he made a habit of putting an arm around Kurt when they walked down the hall together, and Kurt enjoyed it even though it sometimes made him feel a little guilty.

Noah hurried up from behind them a moment later, grinning widely as he slung one arm around Dean’s neck and the other around Kurt’s shoulders, pushing them apart just enough for him to squeeze in between them as he said cheerfully, “I am having a _great_ day, Deano. How about you?”

Dean snickered, looking at Noah as he teased, “Yours has been better than mine from what _I_ hear.”

“Not surprising,” Noah said quickly, grinning. “My day couldn’t be beat if you _tried_.”

Dean laughed. “You just keep tellin’ yourself that, Puckasaurus.” He patted Noah’s back. “See you two later.”

Dean moved quickly away, heading back the way they came towards his next class, which Kurt knew was Trig. Quinn was in there too, along with about half of the rest of the Glee club, but Kurt knew the only one Dean particularly cared about was Quinn, and she would already be there. Quinn had Home Ec just down the hall while Kurt and Dean were in Spanish, and the Home Ec teacher always let Quinn leave a few minutes early. Quinn was one of her favorites and she knew Quinn’s next class was at the far end of the school with Robertson, who was rough on people who were late unless they were jocks.

Noah gave Kurt’s shoulders a squeeze, murmuring into his ear, “Cheer up, babe.”

Kurt looked quickly at Noah, smiling when he saw how relaxed and happy Noah looked. “I’m fine, sweetheart.”

Noah grinned. “I knew that. You’re one _sexy_ bitch.”

Kurt laughed, blushing. “I am not!”

“You so are,” Noah disagreed immediately, “and I’m not gonna say any different no matter how much you argue with me, so don’t bother.” He smirked at Kurt, looking happy and smug. “You’re the sexiest thing in this school, babe.”

Kurt stared into Noah’s eyes a moment and then smiled softly. “I’m glad you think so.”

Noah snorted, still smirking as they turned into the side hall where their Political Science class was. It was the only class Kurt and Noah had together, besides Glee. “No, I _know_ it, and don’t you ever forget it.”

Kurt shifted a little closer to Noah’s side, smiling as he laid his head against Noah’s shoulder. Noah’s lips brushed his forehead a moment later, and then Kurt heard a familiar voice behind him say, “Awww... That’s so _sweet._ ” Kurt turned his head quickly to see Santana was right behind them, smirking and looking pleased with herself as she sped up a bit to walk next to Noah. “It’s kind of nice seeing you with someone you really give a damn about, Puckerman.” She didn’t look at Noah at all despite the fact she was walking by him, instead smirking at Kurt. “You’re a lucky girl, Ladyface.”

Kurt smiled at Santana, amused by her calling him a girl even though she did it to annoy him. “Thank you, I think.”

“You’re welcome.” Santana smirked a little more wickedly and leaned in close to Noah’s side to get closer to Kurt, then murmured, “You owe me, y’know. He _did_ learn all he knows about fucking from me.” She kissed Noah lightly on the lips and then hurried off into the Economics classroom across the hall from their Political Sciences class, her short Cheerio skirt swishing.

Kurt looked up at Noah, expecting to find him watching Santana go, but Noah was watching him with a slightly worried expression, looking as if he expected Kurt to explode any second. Kurt smiled instead and stopped by the door to their next class, murmuring dryly, “You do have the most _lovable_ exes.”

Noah laughed. “She’d probably try to kill you if she heard you call her that.”

“Which is why I waited until she was out of earshot,” Kurt pointed out, smirking as he leaned up to kiss Noah lightly, then walked quickly into the classroom.

Noah was snickering as he followed him.

 

~*~

 

When Puck reached the field house for athletics later that afternoon it was just after the late bell rang, and he was surprised to find Schue sitting on one of the weight benches, looking kind of concerned and sad.

Mike and Matt were both sitting on a nearby bench and Karofsky, George, Azimio, and a few of the other guys were standing close to them, all of them looking kind of shocked, so Puck was sure something was wrong. He had just left Quinn and Kurt both safely in their Honors English class, and he had seen Dean and most of the girls in Glee in the hall between classes, but he figured it _had_ to be someone in Glee for Schue to be there.

“What’s up?” Puck asked, walking over to sit down astride the bench Schue was on, facing him.

Schue looked at him, obviously concerned. “Coach Tanaka won’t be here for class today. He was in a car accident during his lunch break.”

Puck frowned and asked quickly, “Is he okay?” He wasn’t close to Tanaka or anything, but he kind of liked the guy, bipolar and all. He had stood up for Puck more than once when he didn’t have to, and he got Puck into Acafellas, so Puck figured he owed him a lot. He had always loved music, but Acafellas had made him realize he enjoyed _performing_ , which had led to him joining Glee and changed his whole life for the better.

“Yeah, he’ll be fine,” Schue said, but he still looked kind of sad. “He’s just kind of shaken up. Emma tried to get him to go to the hospital after he called Figgins to let him know someone would have to take athletics for him today, but he refused. He’ll be back tomorrow.”

Puck looked at Schue a minute and then asked, “Why is it I get the feeling there’s more to it than that, Mr Schue?”

Schue looked surprised and then a bit wry. “Probably because there is, but it’s nothing you kids need to worry about.”

“He was probably blubbering again,” Karofsky said, sounding scornful as George snickered. “I bet he was crying so hard he ran into some little old lady’s Caddy or something.”

Schue frowned at Karofsky, standing up as he turned to face him. “Tanaka is your _Coach_ and you will show him some respect, Karofsky.”

“Tanaka’s a sad-sack _fag_ for being such a wreck over that freakazoid, Pillsbury,” Karofsky countered with a sneer, made bold by George being right behind him snickering. “It’s _pitiful_.”

“Are you _trying_ to get sent to the principal?” Schue asked, looking angry.

Karofsky sneered at Schue and rolled his eyes. “Like you’d send me to Figgins! Everyone knows you won’t do it.”

“Why don’t you and your pet meatheads just go dress out and leave the talking to actual human beings?” Mike asked suddenly, standing up to glare at Karofsky as he moved to back Schue up.

Matt stood up and moved to stand at Schue’s other shoulder, nodding. “Nobody asked for your opinion.”

Karofsky glared at Mike and Matt and looked like he was about to say something until Puck stood and moved between Karofsky and the others, staring coldly at Karofsky as he growled, “Walk away while you still can, asshole.”

Karofsky stared at Puck for a moment and then smirked. “You can’t take us. Even all three of you.”

“Dean’s not the only one who’s tired of playing by the rules where you’re concerned,” Puck said sharply. “You crossed the line, asshole, and next time you get stupid I’m gonna fuck your shit _up_.”

Puck didn’t have a knife on him, of course, but he _had_ been thinking about asking Dean where he could get a good one. From what Kurt had said, Dean seldom had to actually _use_ his knife, just acting like he would was enough to make most guys back down, and Puck knew that he’d need all the help he could get after Dean left town. Karofsky was definitely scared shitless of Dean, but his fear of the other gleeks was already starting to wane after just a couple of days, and when Dean was gone Puck knew it would all get worse than ever. Puck was sure he was going to have to do something drastic to Karofsky to get him to back off permanently, but he wasn’t sure yet what that would be.

“You wouldn’t!” Karofsky said quickly, looking much less confident and maybe even a little wary. “Not in front of a teacher.”

“I’ll be in the office,” Schue said, turning away to walk towards Tanaka’s office. “Just don’t accidentally kill him, Puck. It would look bad on my record.”

“You got it, Schue,” Puck agreed easily, smirking suddenly at Karofsky as he made a ‘come on’ gesture with both hands.  “Let’s do this, dickwad. I’ve been _itching_ to rip you apart since you tried playing grabass with my Cheerio.”

Karofsky’s eyes widened a little. “I haven’t gone near Santana!”

“Santana’s not my problem, and besides, she so does not need my help with _you_ ,” Puck said pointedly. He wanted an excuse to kick Karofsky’s ass, and Schue had made it pretty plain he would cover for him, so Puck was going to keep pushing buttons until Karofsky tried to kill him. “She sent you running last time you got on her bad side, and she can do it again any time she wants. I meant _Kurt_ , you stupid piece of shit.”

Karofsky was suddenly scowling and looking pissed. “I wasn’t after Hummel’s ass, Puckerman. That’s _your_ thing.”

Puck glared at Karofsky, giving him his best ‘I’m gonna _kill_ you’ look even though he was totally making it up as he went along. “Yeah, well, _I_ don’t give him _bruises_ when I touch him, fuckwit, and I _know_ nobody else was _stupid enough_ to get fresh with him that day. That just leaves you, and _everyone_ knows that you don’t always take no for an answer.” 

“Dude, seriously?” George asked, obviously freaked out by the idea as he stared at Karofsky.

“That’s pretty fucked up,” Azimio agreed, looking disgusted. “I mean, the little fag _acts_ like a girl and all, but he’s still got a dick.”

“I’m _straight!_ ” Karofsky exclaimed as he whirled suddenly to stare at the other guys, but not before Puck saw a flare of fear in his eyes that made Puck wonder if Karofsky really _did_ have a thing for Kurt. Puck could hardly wrap his mind around the implications of the possibility. It would explain why Karofsky was constantly after Kurt, especially since Kurt and Puck got together, but if it was true then Puck’s accusations might be closer to the truth than he was at all comfortable with. “He’s just fucking with your heads!”

“I _saw_ the bruises,” Puck said, his glare getting a lot easier to maintain even though he tried to tell himself Karofsky was just afraid his buddies would believe Puck. They used to be Puck’s buddies too, after all, especially Azimio, and they all knew Puck well enough to know he didn’t bother spreading lies about people he didn’t like, he just kicked their asses and got it over with. “I would’ve hunted you down right then, but he made me promise not to do anything unless you got up in my face again. He doesn’t want me in jail, but if you hit me first then whatever I do is totally self defense and Kurt won’t mind.” Puck gave Karofsky a grin that he knew was more than a little scary, mostly because he had practiced it in a mirror for fight club. It had made guys a lot meaner than Karofsky back away in the past. “So feel free to try and deck me for telling the truth.”

Karofsky stared at Puck for a moment, a little pale but obviously furious despite the fear in his eyes, and then he finally said, “Y’know what? Fuck you, Puckerman.” He looked at Azimio and George, adding, “And fuck both of you too, if you believe that lying sack of shit.” He turned away and stalked out of the field house.

Azimio and George looked at each other for a moment and then George turned and headed for the locker room without a word.

The other guys who had been listening and watching lingered, and Azimio glared at them. “There’s nothing for you to see here! Go get dressed out!” The guys hurriedly turned away and left, and Azimio watched until they were in the locker room before he turned back to Puck, frowning. “Were you just spouting shit, Puck?” he asked quietly, and then he paused slightly before he added, “Seriously, now. Don’t lie to me, man. We used to be bros.”

“Kurt’s got bruises all over him,” Puck replied quietly, meeting Azimio’s gaze and telling the truth, even though he knew that the other things he had said made it sound worse than it really was. He hadn’t seen the bruises on Kurt’s thighs yet, but Kurt had said they were there, so Puck didn’t even have to lie as he added, “And not just in places he would have gotten from hitting the wall when Karofsky threw him in the bathroom. He won’t talk about it, but who else is gonna _dare_ touch him after I made it plain he’s off limits?”

Azimio stared into Puck’s eyes a moment and then looked away, disgusted. “Dude, that’s just _wrong_. Roughing the fairy up a little is one thing, but tryin’ to—” He broke off, shaking his head. “Naw, man. The little fag pisses me off, prancing around like he owns the place, but there ain’t no excuse for doing shit like that to him.”

“He’s so used to assholes hurting him just because they can that he wouldn’t even have told me if I hadn’t seen the bruises,” Puck said, hoping he could make Azimio really _think_ about what he was doing to Kurt. Azimio was casually cruel to people he didn’t like, but he could be a loyal friend too, and Puck knew he wasn’t really as unredeemable as most of his victims thought. He was just very homophobic, which meant that Kurt pushed Azimio’s buttons just by _existing_ , and Kurt’s superior attitude and the fact he was a rich kid compared to Azimio just made it even worse. “We both know how mean Dave gets when somebody turns him down, though, and nobody else bothered Kurt that day ‘cause everyone knows I said he was off limits after you knocked him down the stairs. Me and Santana have both had to kick Karofsky’s ass for roughing up Brit, and I know he’s done as bad to other girls.”

“I had to knock some sense into him myself a couple times,” Azimio agreed quietly, frowning. “Dude has no self control at all.”

“You guys need to get changed,” Schue said suddenly, making them look towards Tanaka’s office in surprise. Schue was leaning against the doorway looking unhappy and serious as he added, “I know Coach makes you dress out by five after the bell or run laps, and it’s already past that.”

“Sure thing, Mr Schuester,” Azimio said, heading for the locker room.

Mike and Matt moved past Puck to head for the locker room, and Puck watched them go before he looked back at Schue. “Are you going to do anything about Karofsky walking out?”

“I texted Figgins, he’s taking care of it,” Schue replied, walking quickly over to Puck. “Was what you said true, Puck?” he asked much more quietly, looking concerned. “About him … molesting Kurt?”

“Kurt’s got the bruises, just like I said,” Puck said softly, glancing towards the locker room before he met Schue’s gaze again and admitted very quietly, “but he hasn’t _told me_ Karofsky felt him up or anything. Just, some of the bruises don’t look like he hit a wall, and he’s got at least two handprints that aren’t from _my_ hands.”

Schue was quiet a moment, and then said very hesitantly, “I’ve seen Dean touching him a lot. He wouldn’t…?”

“No, he wouldn’t,” Puck said firmly, frowning at Schue. “Dean would _never_ hurt Kurt or _anyone_ _else_ that didn’t deserve it, and even if he would, whoever it was that grabbed his arm and put a handprint on his hip has hands bigger than mine. Dean’s hands are smaller.”

Schue sighed, looking down. “And of course Kurt’s not talking.”

“Kurt would never tell me because he doesn’t want me in jail,” Puck agreed, making Schue look up at him quickly. “I let him talk me out of beating the crap out of Karofsky because Dean had already put the fear of God in him, but he knows I’d end up killing the worthless piece of shit if I found out Karofsky tried to feel him up. Even if he wasn’t mine, _nobody_ pulls that crap on my friends. There would be no hole deep enough for Karofsky to hide from me, no matter what Kurt asked me to do.”

Schue looked into Puck’s eyes for a moment and then put his hand on Puck’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “I’m glad he’s got you to look out for him, Noah. He’s a very lucky guy.”

Puck felt his face heating up a bit as he said softly, “I’m the lucky one, Schue.”

Schue smiled. “I’m sure you think so.” He patted Puck’s shoulder, nodding towards the locker room. “Go on, get changed.”

“We following the usual Friday routine?” Puck asked.

Schue nodded. “I think so. Ken said to have you guys do some stretching, run a few laps, and then lift weights.”

“Cool.” Puck turned away, heading into the locker room to go get dressed out as he saw a few of the other guys finally walking out. They looked kind of wary, especially Seth and Kevin, who were both skinny little geeks on the track team, and Puck snickered. “It’s all over guys. You don’t have to look so worried.”

Seth looked kind of sheepish as Kevin asked quickly, “Who’s worried?”

One of the baseball team, Ray, snickered and gave Kevin a bit of a push, “You were a minute ago, Kev.”

“Shut up, Ray,” Kevin said quickly, shoving Ray with a laugh as he blushed.

Puck just snickered at them and continued past into the locker room to change, trying to put Kurt’s bruises out of his mind again and forget all the shit he had brought up trying to get Karofsky to attack him. If he let himself think too much about that fear he’d seen in Karofsky’s eyes, he’d do something unforgivable.

Forgetting it was the only way he was going to stay sane.

 

~*~

 

Juan was returning to his desk after turning in his exam when Mrs Stimson stood up and moved to the front of the class. Everyone stopped what they were doing and Kurt looked up from texting with Tina and Quinn to listen as Mrs Stimson said, “Because you have all finished the exam so quickly, and the homework for the weekend is simply to do the reading for next week, you may go.” There was a happy chorus of ‘thank you’ from most of the class, which made Mrs Stimson smile. “You’re quite welcome. Enjoy your weekend.”

Kurt was just as quick as the rest of the class to pack his books up and go, though he did wait a moment for Quinn. She was in a hurry too, anxious to go and get a snack because she had been craving bacon for half an hour, so Kurt and Quinn weren’t even the last ones out of the room for a change. That honor belonged to Rachel, who had been sitting at her desk doing her Trig homework while most of the rest of the class simply waited for the bell.

Kurt had barely stepped out into the hall with Quinn when he saw Noah lounging against the lockers across the hall with Mike and Finn. Seeing Finn there was a definite surprise – Finn usually met Rachel at her locker after class, not at the door – but after the last few days Kurt had grown to expect seeing Mike with Noah after athletics.

Kurt had been worried about Noah walking to and from athletics on Tuesday afternoon after it became common knowledge that he and Noah were dating, sure that Karofsky and his friends would attack Noah, and had said as much to Quinn when she asked why he looked worried. Mike had texted Kurt barely ten minutes later saying for him to stop worrying because Mike, Matt, and even Finn were going to back Noah up if he needed it, which was how Kurt had found out that Quinn had just asked Mike to watch Noah’s back for Kurt. Kurt had been relieved and extremely thankful, promising Mike free car repairs for life even before he realized that Mike had meant after school too. Mike used to leave the moment Coach Tanaka released them unless they had Glee rehearsals, but all week he had stayed behind with Noah and Kurt was very grateful.

“Babe!” Noah exclaimed cheerfully, grinning as he pushed off of the lockers and moved quickly to meet Kurt.

Kurt smiled as he moved to meet Noah, not caring who was watching as he lifted his hands to the back of Noah’s neck, pulling him down into a kiss without a word. Noah hummed happily into his mouth, wrapping his arms around Kurt to pull him close, then he suddenly moved his hands to Kurt’s sides and picked Kurt up to spin him around right there in the hallway. Kurt could hear Quinn giggling and Mike laughing, not to mention a few other people snickering, but he didn’t really care as he stared down into Noah’s eyes, beaming happily and loving what he saw.

Noah was grinning as he spun Kurt around once more, his hazel eyes sparkling and warm, and as Noah slowly began to lower Kurt back to the floor, Kurt murmured, “God, I love you.”

Noah’s grin softened into a loving, gentle smile that was quite simply _beautiful_ to Kurt as Noah brought him down into another kiss, lingering for what seemed like ages. Noah finally pulled away slightly and then whispered softly against his lips, “I am the luckiest guy _alive_ , baby.”

Kurt just kissed Noah again instead of trying to talk, his chest feeling almost painfully tight with love and happiness.

“Come on, Rachel,” Finn said suddenly, sounding kind of amused. “They’ll probably be here a while, and Mom let me drive today so we don’t have to wait for the bus.”

Kurt pulled away from Noah with a soft laugh, blushing as Rachel giggled and said, “Of course they’ll be a while, Finn. They’re _in love_.”

Noah was still smiling softly as he stared into Kurt’s eyes and murmured, “I always wondered what that felt like before now.”

“Amazing,” Kurt whispered, beaming at Noah as he tried to blink away the sudden sting in his eyes. It still wasn’t ‘I love you’, not quite, but it was most definitely close enough to bring happy tears to Kurt’s eyes. The implication was that Noah finally knew what love felt like, and Kurt was so happy to hear it that he didn’t really mind that it wasn’t an actual declaration. He knew Noah like he knew no one else, not even Mercedes, really, and he knew that Noah had a hard time putting his feelings into words sometimes, especially things that were very important to him. He had seen it time and time again where Beth and Quinn were concerned, and he could be patient for Noah to be able to say the three little words that Kurt most wanted to hear.

Noah kissed Kurt, soft and sweet, and then murmured, “You and the girls are leaving pretty soon, right?”

Kurt nodded, smiling up at Noah. “Yes. Did you ever text Dean like you were supposed to?”

Noah had the grace to look a bit sheepish. “Not exactly.”

“Then you need to text him,” Kurt said with a soft laugh. “We need to know if you’re coming home with me or not, sweetheart.”

Noah checked his watch and then grinned at Kurt. “I can text him from the truck. I’ve got almost ten minutes till the bell.”

Mike offered Quinn his elbow with a bow and an amused smile, teasing, “If milady would allow me to escort her?”

Quinn laughed softly and took Mike’s arm. “Thank you, kind sir.”

Mike and Quinn started towards the nearest exit that led to the parking lot, and Noah put his arm around Kurt to start him after them. Kurt put his arm around Noah’s waist, slipping his fingers into Noah’s front pocket on the far side as he teased Noah gently, “You could have texted him earlier, you know.”

“I know,” Noah agreed, looking just a bit sheepish. “I just kind of wanted some privacy when I talked to him, y’know? A crowded weight room wasn’t really my idea of where I wanted to have that conversation.”

Kurt smiled, giving Noah’s waist a squeeze. “I’ll sit in the truck with Quinn while you talk to him, sweetheart.”

“Thanks, babe,” Noah said softly, still looking sheepish.

Kurt stretched up to kiss Noah’s cheek. “No thanks needed.”

They followed Mike and Quinn outside a moment later and then started across the parking lot towards where the Navigator was parked between Mike’s Trans-Am and Dean’s Impala, and only a few moments later Kurt got his first in-person look at his new bumper stickers Tina had texted him a picture of during Political Science. Dean and Quinn had somehow not noticed them when they returned from lunch, but Kurt saw them from half way across the parking lot and he smiled wryly as he wondered what his dad’s reaction would be.

“Me and Dean can get rid of those in a few minutes with a couple razor blades, babe,” Noah said as they got closer to the Navigator. “I know you liked your Navigator like it was, and we’ll be careful of the paint.”

Kurt read the bumper stickers again, even though he already knew what they said. There were brightly-colored rainbow stickers on the bumper and several others on the rear hatch with rather pointed messages, and he couldn’t quite decide whether he liked them or not. One on the left side of the door handle for the rear hatch said _‘Diva’_ in sparkly silver glitter on a dark purple background _,_ and the other one said‘ _I Can’t Even Think Straight’_ in plain white text against a rainbow flag. On the other side of the handle was a very dark red sticker with gold glittery text that said ‘ _I Know I’m Gay, What Are You?’_ next to a black sticker with ‘ _My Boyfriend Can Kick Your Ass’_ in hot pink, and the final sticker had a rainbow background that started on the left with a dark red and blended smoothly through the spectrum with _‘Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Fabulous’_ on it in glittery silver text.

“Leave them for now,” Kurt said with a soft laugh. “At least until I find out what Dad thinks. If he doesn’t object, I just might keep them.” He looked up at Noah, grinning suddenly. “They _are_ all true, and I might even have one of my own at home to add to them.”

Noah laughed. “Works for me, babe.” He kissed Kurt soundly and then murmured, “I will get to see you for breakfast in the morning, right?”

“Definitely,” Kurt agreed with a soft smile. “Much sooner if Dean has plans already.”

“He doesn’t,” Noah said, smiling. “When I got his number from Sam, he wanted to know what I needed it for, and when I told him I was gonna ask if Dean wanted to hang out tonight, Sam said that Dean didn’t have anything planned.”

“I’m glad,” Kurt said, leaning up to kiss Noah again lightly. “Now go talk to him.” He pulled away, moving towards the Navigator without looking back at Noah, not even when he heard the Impala’s shocks squeak a bit as Noah climbed up on the hood. He knew that if he didn’t go Noah would put off saying anything to Dean at all, and he wanted Noah to spend his evening enjoying himself.

If Noah went home with Kurt and the girls, the girls were sure to harass him all night.

 

~*~

 

Puck followed Dean into the battered old trailer and the stopped just inside the door, surprised. He had known Dean’s dad wasn’t around much, and that Dean’s mom was dead, but he hadn’t really thought about what it meant to Dean and Sam to be on their own until he saw the inside of their house.

Puck had always known his own home showed plainly that his family was kind of poor and hadn’t really bothered to update the furniture in the last seventeen years, but seeing how Dean lived made him suddenly realize it could have been a lot worse. Dean’s house was pretty much _empty_ except for a battered old couch, a coffee table that wasn’t really anything more than scrap wood someone had nailed together, a small end table by the couch that was two old wire milk crates stacked up and topped with a square of wood, a cheap little desk against one wall that was piled with paper, and a battered old table with four mismatched chairs in the kitchen.

There was no television, no decoration of any kind, and it took Puck only a moment to decide it was really no wonder Dean didn’t hang out at home. The place was _depressing_. It didn’t look like anyone lived there at all except for the papers on the desk and the small portable stereo on the kitchen table, and Puck decided right then that he’d have to tell Kurt about it to get him on board with the idea of inviting Dean and Sam along with them as often as possible when they were going to hang out with friends. Dean and Sam were good company anyway, and Kurt wouldn’t want them stuck in such a bare, cheerless house any more than Puck did.

Dean opened the fridge as he asked, “You want a beer or something?”

“No, I’m cool man,” Puck said, looking towards Dean.

Dean took a beer out of the fridge and then moved to knock the cap off on the counter before he turned to look back towards Puck, smiling even though he looked a little uncertain. He took a long drink from his beer, downing about a third of it, and then asked hesitantly, “So, how do you wanna do this?”

“You not hiding in the kitchen would be a good start,” Puck pointed out, relaxing slightly as he realized Dean was nervous too. “Past that, it’s up to you, Dean. If you’re not into it, we can just hang out and talk.”

Dean blushed and walked around the kitchen table, crossing the scuffed linoleum floor to stop close to Puck and look into his eyes as he said quietly, “I wasn’t sure you’d still be into the idea. You looked kinda unhappy just now.”

Puck smiled crookedly at Dean. “Nothing’s changed since we got in the car, Deano. Not for me at least.”

Dean smiled, looking pleased as he murmured, “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Good,” Puck said, smiling a little wider. “Sounds like you need to finish your beer, then.”

Dean took another drink of his beer and then moved towards the doorway that led to the hall along the back of the house, putting his beer on the coffee table on his way by it. “I can finish it later.”

Puck moved to follow him, curious about Dean’s room and the rest of the house. “Works for me. I’m sure we’ll be thirsty.”

They walked down a short hallway, past a closed door and then through the door at the end of the hall into a room that was surprisingly dark because of a heavy curtain on the single window. Dean flipped on the light, and Puck looked around at a small bedroom that was just as bare as the living room, surprised when he realized the ‘curtain’ was just a thick dark green blanket hung on several nails. There was a dresser near the door, and to the left was an unmade bed with rumpled jersey sheets and an ugly wool blanket wadded up at the foot of the bed that looked like it was probably Army surplus. The only other things in the room were a small bedside table that held a lamp by the bed, a pile of what he figured was dirty clothes in one corner, and a basket of clothes on the dresser.

Dean had stopped by the bed and was watching him with an unreadable expression, and when Puck finally met his gaze again Dean said quietly, “I know it’s not much, but don’t you dare feel sorry for me.”

“I don’t,” Puck lied quickly, feeling his face heating up a bit. “I was just a little surprised is all. You’re so… _you_ , that I kind of expected your room to show more of the kind of guy you are.”

Dean blinked and then smiled slightly. “I’m not sure whether that was a compliment or not.”

“It totally was, I promise,” Puck said quickly, grinning as he moved closer to Dean. He stopped with just a few inches separating them, hesitating as he searched Dean’s expressive green-tinted hazel eyes and then asked softly, “What next, Dean?”

Dean smiled slightly, lifting his hands to Puck’s chest to slide his hands inside the open front of Puck’s overshirt, moving a little closer as he murmured, “Now we get to know each other a little better.”

Puck barely had a chance to register that he really liked the feel of Dean’s hands on his chest before Dean was kissing him, slow and gentle. Puck let Dean have control of the kiss, willing to follow his lead because he was running blind as he moved his hands to Dean’s waist and shifted a little closer. Dean didn’t try to hurry things along like Puck had half expected he would, instead licking and nibbling at Puck’s lower lip and then slowly licking into his mouth when Puck’s lips parted, his tongue sliding against Puck’s and curling around it as the taste of Pabst Blue Ribbon flooded Puck’s mouth.

Dean ended the kiss after a few minutes, looking into Puck’s eyes as he pushed Puck’s shirt over his shoulders and down his arms, tossing it onto the nearby dresser as he murmured, “I’m startin’ to feel like maybe you’re the one not really into this.”

“I am,” Puck disagreed, surprised.

Dean smiled crookedly, looking amused as he ran his hands over Puck’s shoulders, stroking the newly bared skin as he asked gently, “Then why are you just lettin’ me run the show? I’ve seen you with Kurt, an’ I know that’s not really your style.”

Puck blushed again as he murmured, “Yeah, but with him I know what he likes and what he wants from me, so it’s cool. I don’t know what you like yet, other than that you’re gonna fuck me.”

“Among other things, yeah,” Dean agreed, amused. “That don’t mean I’m gonna break if you go after what you want, though. I promise I can take anything you wanna dish out.”

“Doesn’t mean that’s what you _want_ , though,” Puck pointed out, glancing down instead of meeting Dean’s gaze. “I’m not the kinda guy that’s gonna push for anything you don’t offer, Dean.” He lifted his gaze to Dean’s again, feeling like his face was on fire. “I don’t do that, not with anyone.”

Dean moved even closer, pressing the hard bulge of his dick against Puck’s thigh as he looked into Puck’s eyes and murmured, “I want _you_ , Puck, an’ I’m not a blushing virgin like Kurt, so you won’t scare me if you stop actin’ like I’m a girl an’ go for it. I promise that if you do anything I don’t like, I’ll let you know loud and clear.”

Puck stared into Dean’s eyes a moment longer and then kissed him, easing his control of himself a little as he stopped waiting for Dean to lead the way. Dean let out a low approving purr as he responded to the kiss, tugging at Puck’s tank top and then sliding his hands up under it to touch Puck’s back as their tongues slipped and slid against each other in Dean’s mouth, hot and wet and damned near perfect. Dean tasted like beer and a hint of the marinara he’d dunked his onion rings in when they stopped to eat, and he kissed like it was one of his favorite hobbies, making it easy for Puck to just relax and enjoy himself.

Puck finally had to come up for air after a few minutes, and he was breathing hard as he stared into Dean’s eyes while he grabbed his own tank top and jerked it up and off, flinging it away. He immediately reached for Dean’s t-shirt and murmured, “Get naked.”

Dean let Puck pull his shirt up and off, then his hands moved to Puck’s waist to tug his belt open and then move on to the top button of his jeans, unfastening it as he smiled at Puck and purred, “Naked would be good.”

Puck smirked and pushed Dean back onto the bed, watching Dean prop himself up on his elbows and then just stare while Puck kicked out of his shoes. Puck unbuttoned his fly with a practiced little jerk and then let his jeans fall, enjoying the look in Dean’s eyes as he murmured, “Ask and ye shall receive.”

“Fuck me,” Dean murmured, his gaze hungrily roaming over Puck’s body as he settled back on his elbows.

“Later, if you want,” Puck agreed, moving to the edge of the bed and then kneeling to untie Dean’s boot, looking at the laces as he felt his face heating up again. “You promised to do me first.”

Dean groaned softly, making Puck look up to see Dean was watching him with an unreadable expression. “I’ll make it good for you, I promise.”

Puck smiled, tugging off Dean’s boot. He was only a little surprised to see the handle of a scarred old knife sticking out of the top of the boot as he set it aside, and he put the knife out of his mind almost immediately as he reached for Dean’s other boot and murmured, “I know. Even if I wasn’t so sure of it myself, Kurt says I can trust you and he’s good at judging people.”

Dean shifted on the bed, sitting up as he reached to put his hand on Puck’s jaw and tug upwards very gently. Puck let Dean tip his head up, meeting Dean’s gaze as Dean asked huskily, “You talked about this with Kurt?”

Puck tugged the other boot off and went up onto his knees as he moved closer to the bed, still looking into Dean’s eyes. Dean moved his knees apart, making it easier for Puck to get close, and Puck shifted even closer as he ran his hands up Dean’s thighs and finally murmured, “Well, yeah.” He smiled, letting his hands roam up past the denim that hung low on Dean’s hips to stroke Dean’s sides, enjoying the feel of firm muscle covered by soft skin as he added, “He said he wouldn’t trust fucking me for the first time to just anyone, but he trusts you to make sure I enjoy it.”

“I… Wow,” Dean mumbled, looking surprised and kind of awed for a moment before he suddenly leaned to kiss Puck with a soft little noise that made Puck groan as he responded.

Puck hardly noticed he had climbed up onto the bed until they finally had to break apart to breathe again a few minutes later and he realized he was sitting astride Dean’s thighs. Dean began trailing soft kisses along his throat, his hands feeling new and different against Puck’s skin as they lightly stroked Puck’s ass. Puck had been touched on the ass before, of course, often even because he had the kind of ass that more than one woman had told him was so hot she just had to grab it, but Dean’s hands were very definitely _male_ , strong and a little rough with calluses, and he was surprised by how different they felt against his skin and how much he liked that difference.

Dean licked and nibbled at the underside of his jaw, his hands squeezing Puck’s ass gently, and Puck let out a soft low noise as he pushed back into Dean’s hands. “So fuckin’ hot, how responsive you are,” Dean breathed out against Puck’s throat, nipping gently before he whispered, “You’re gonna love everything I do to you, I promise.”

Puck flushed, feeling the heat spreading all the way down his throat as he realized how very _needy_ he was acting, but he didn’t really want to stop so he just moved to kiss Dean again and shut him up. Dean responded with a low growl, taking over the kiss and plundering Puck’s mouth almost roughly as Dean’s hands stroked and massaged his ass, then Dean suddenly pulled away to look into Puck’s eyes as he ordered softly, “Get on the bed, Puck. On your belly.”

Puck shuddered and swallowed hard, but he nodded and moved onto the bed, trying not to let Dean see the sudden hint of panic he felt as he moved off of Dean’s lap to the middle of the bed and laid down. He folded his arms and rested his forehead on them, hiding his face and listening to the rustle of fabric and then the muffled clunk of Dean’s belt buckle hitting the floor. Dean was climbing onto the bed a moment later, and then Dean’s hand was on his thigh as Dean murmured, “Spread ‘em, Puckasaurus.”

Puck felt his face heating up more, sure that Dean could feel the way he was trembling as he did as he was told, moving his legs apart as he breathed out, “Okay.”

Dean moved to kneel between Puck’s thighs and then settled down against his back, making Puck realize Dean still had his boxers on. “Relax, babe,” Dean whispered into his ear, “I’m gonna take good care of you.”

Puck shivered slightly at the sound of Dean’s low, husky voice and the way his hot breath tickled against Puck’s ear, kind of surprised he liked the feel of Dean’s body draped over him even though the hard dick against his ass made it a little frightening too. Part of him really wanted to get on with it and get the sex part over with so he would _know_ instead of being worried about what it _might_ be like, but another part was still pretty scared of the whole idea.

Puck had tried looking up ‘first time gay sex’ late one night when he couldn’t stop thinking about how good Kurt had looked that day, but after he eliminated the porn sites there had been so many options he had decided to read a couple of message boards, hoping for actual people talking about how it was for them. The one he had started with had seemed promising until he realized it was just people trolling for virgins to fuck, and the next two boards were full of horror stories of how bad it hurt to get fucked mixed in with people talking about how awesomely amazing it had been, so he had given up pretty fast. There had been so many completely different opinions of what it was like that he was still pretty much in the dark.

Puck knew some women liked anal sex because he had fucked Santana that way quite a few times because she didn’t trust condoms not to break, and she had always acted like she loved it right up until she had finally decided to just go to a free clinic in Dayton to get birth control pills as extra insurance. One of the cougars that used to be a regular for Puck had asked him to fuck her ass a few times too, and she had always enjoyed it, but after the stuff he had read online he was pretty sure it must be different with a guy. The things he had read that talked about the actual sex had seemed to agree that fingers and preparation were an absolutely necessary part of the plan, but he hadn’t had to do any of that with Santana or Mrs G, just put lots of lube on the condom and give them a chance to adjust once his dick was in, so what experience he had really didn’t help him.

“I’m fine,” Puck lied softly after a moment, sure Dean could tell he wasn’t being honest but hoping that Dean wouldn’t call him on it. He was so tense he was almost vibrating with it, his dick barely half hard and his body tight and rigid as he forced himself to hold still, but he didn’t want to stop. “Whatever you want me to do, I will.”

Dean nuzzled the nape of Puck’s neck and then bit down gently, making Puck let out a soft little surprised noise as he realized he liked it. Dean licked the bite slowly, swirling his tongue against Puck’s skin, and then his lips were brushing against the back of Puck’s ear as Dean murmured, “Just relax, babe. That’s all you need to be worryin’ about.” He ran his hand along Puck’s side, slow and soothing. “I’ll take care of you.”

Puck shuddered and swallowed hard, trying to make himself relax as Dean lifted up off of him and began to trail openmouthed kisses over his back, lingering as if he enjoyed the taste of Puck’s skin while he slowly worked his way downward. Dean’s hands were gentle as they roamed slowly over his body, and the way Dean touched him helped Puck relax and start to enjoy himself again. What Dean was doing felt good, felt _awesome_ even, and the apprehension that had made Puck so tense slowly began to fade into a completely different kind of tension as his dick throbbed against his belly and began to harden again.

Puck wasn’t really used to anyone taking time to explore his body and find out what _he_ liked, but it didn’t take him long to learn to appreciate it. The girls his own age he had been with had been into him, sure, but they hadn’t known much about a guy’s body beyond the obvious and there was usually a strong chance they’d get caught, so it was always about getting off as quickly as possible. Santana was different sometimes, mostly when he could afford to get a hotel room, but she didn’t really _care_ what Puck might want from her beyond getting him off. She had made more of an effort a few times, mostly when she wanted him to buy her something, but even then she had always gone quickly to sex to be her bargaining chip.

Cougars weren’t usually in such a hurry when they were in bed with Puck, but they wanted him to please _them_ and seldom did more to him than play with his nipple ring or suck his dick a little before they wanted to move on to the fucking. There had been one or two that liked to touch him more, but the way they had touched him and looked at him had given it a completely different vibe than the way Dean was treating him did. Puck had never really known he was missing anything as far as sex was concerned until then, and it made everything that much more intense as Dean drew out the foreplay that Puck had really kind of expected would be pretty much nonexistent.

The lingering way Dean was exploring his body made Puck’s worries recede until he was feeling nothing but a slow simmering heat of anticipation as he tried to hold still and wondered just what Dean would do next, and what it would be like. He was starting to think it wouldn’t be too bad, not as careful and gentle as Dean was being with him, but he still wasn’t sure if he would really _enjoy_ it or not. He hoped he might, since Dean had said he’d make sure he did, but he knew from his own experience with women that just because Dean enjoyed getting fucked didn’t mean it would feel good to him. Every woman Puck had ever fucked was different, and he was pretty sure that men had to be the same.

Dean nuzzled the small of Puck’s back, licking and nibbling at his skin, and Puck arched into it slightly as he wished he had at least hunted down some gay porn so he didn’t feel so ignorant about it all. He didn’t watch a lot of porn like most guys his age did, preferring real women or his own fantasies to the obviously faked garbage he had seen, but he finally realized that watching even faked gay sex would have surely taught him _something_. He wasn’t really interested in watching guys he didn’t know getting off, and the straight porn he had seen was mostly pure crap that had very little incommon with real sex, but his contempt for porn and his lack of Google-fu had left him almost completely in the dark.

Dean shifted further down the bed, distracting Puck from his thoughts as Dean’s hands settled on his hips, and then Dean’s lips were brushing against Puck’s ass as Dean kissed his skin softly and then murmured, “Do you trust me, Puck?”

“Yeah,” Puck replied softly, tensing up nervously again despite his words.

“You sure about that?” Dean asked, then licked and nibbled at one cheek of his ass, making Puck shudder as he shifted restlessly against the bed. “’Cause you feel pretty tense to me, babe.”

“I’m sure,” Puck murmured, trying to relax even though he expected Dean to tell him to get on his knees pretty soon. It was the obvious next step, at least with a woman, and he figured it was the same with guys. It was _possible_ for Dean to fuck him laying flat like he was, but Puck thought it would be easier for them both with them on their knees.

“Up on your knees, then,” Dean murmured, pulling away as he patted Puck’s hip lightly.

“Okay.” Puck swallowed hard as he obediently moved up onto his knees, keeping his face hidden against his folded arms as he took a deep breath and tried to relax.

Dean stroked Puck’s hip slowly as he kissed the small of Puck’s back and then murmured softly, “I’ll be right back.”

Puck nodded and then was still, waiting as Dean shifted over to the side of the bed to open the bedside table and take out something. Puck realized they hadn’t discussed condoms, and didn’t stop to think about it at all before he murmured, “I hope you’ve got rubbers, ‘cause I only have one in my wallet.”

“I’ve got condoms _and_ lube,” Dean agreed, sounding amused. He closed the bedside table and then moved back behind Puck, kneeling well away from his body between his feet. Puck was about to ask why Dean was staying so far away when Dean’s hands were suddenly on his ass, spreading him open as Dean murmured, “Just relax and enjoy. You’re gonna love this.”

Dean didn’t wait for any kind of response, licking suddenly across Puck’s asshole, and Puck let out a little shocked noise at the feel of Dean’s tongue against the sensitive skin. “Fuck,” Puck gasped, lifting his head finally as he twisted to look over his shoulder towards Dean. He stared into Dean’s sparkling eyes, shocked and kind of weirded out by how good what Dean was doing felt as he blurted, “What the hell, man?”

Dean licked his ass again instead of answering, his eyes sparkling and wicked as Puck made a little helpless noise and shuddered, then Dean lifted his head to give Puck a wicked smirk. “Shut up and do like I said. I know what I’m doin’.”

Dean lowered his head again without giving Puck a chance to say anything, his tongue swirling against Puck’s asshole, and Puck couldn’t keep from letting out a soft little whine as he felt his dick twitch. Puck decided not to argue and let his head fall back down on his folded arms, and soon he wasn’t thinking at all as Dean proceeded to lick and suck at his ass before pressing the tip of his tongue into Puck in a way that had Puck leaning back into it and making soft little desperate noises as Dean fucked him with his tongue. He didn’t really register what he was hearing when Dean opened the lube after a little while, so it was a shock when Dean’s mouth suddenly left him and then something slick that was too small to be anything but Dean’s finger pushed gently into his ass.

Puck tensed at the sudden intrusion, expecting it to hurt, but it didn’t and after a few moments he began to relax again. Dean shifted closer behind him and then started to move his finger, twisting it slowly a few times before Dean pulled it back and then slid it in deeper. It didn’t hurt, but it didn’t feel _great_ either, and Puck was beginning to wonder what the big deal was when Dean pushed his finger in all the way and rubbed gently across something that felt different. Puck shifted a little, trying to decide if he liked the feeling or not as Dean’s finger moved over the same spot again, but then the third time he realized it was starting to feel pretty good.

Dean ran his free hand over Puck’s hip soothingly as he leaned down to kiss Puck’s back and then murmured, “Stop thinkin’ so hard an’ relax. I’m just gettin’ started.”

Dean’s finger was moving slowly but constantly, lightly brushing against the spot in a way that seemed to get better with every move, and Puck shifted restlessly as he asked softly, “What _is_ that?”

Dean chuckled soft and low, kissing the upper curve of Puck’s ass before he murmured, “That, Puckasaurus, is your prostate.”

“It is?” Puck asked as he twisted to look over his shoulder at Dean in surprise.

Dean smirked at him. “Yep.” He flexed his finger, pressing a little more firmly at that spot and making Puck gasp and rock back as Dean’s smirk turned wicked. “Otherwise known to gay men everywhere as a happy button.”

Puck let out a strangled little laugh and let his head fall back down onto his folded arms, blushing at the way the flexing of Dean’s finger made him want to push back to get it deeper even though he could feel the rest of Dean’s hand pressed against him already. “I can see why.”

Puck heard Dean open the lube again as Dean moved his finger again, rubbing against his prostate in a way that made Puck groan softly as his dick jerked against his belly, then Dean pulled his finger free of Puck’s body completely. Puck started to tense up again, wondering if actually fucking him was next, and then Dean was pressing two fingers into him as Dean murmured, “Calm down, I’m not gonna go from one finger to my dick. It’d probably hurt like hell as nervous as you are, an’ that’s so not my idea of good sex.”

Puck shifted a little at how two fingers inside him felt as Dean slowly twisted them, a little uncomfortable in a way he wasn’t sure he liked until Dean pushed deeper to stroke his prostate again. He groaned at how different it felt to have the wider pressure of two fingertips rub across it, leaning back into it as he realized the discomfort had completely disappeared when he pushed back.

Dean chuckled soft and low and murmured, “Yeah, that’s it, babe. Stop worryin’ what I’m doin’ and just enjoy it. I’ve got you.”

“Feels good,” Puck murmured after a minute or two, sure that he was probably blushing all the way to his knees but completely unable to make himself care.

“I know,” Dean murmured, leaning down again to trail soft kisses over Puck’s lower back. His fingers were in constant motion again, pulling almost out of Puck’s ass and then thrusting in again to massage his prostate, and Puck couldn’t keep still. It seemed like every time felt a little better than the last, and he was soon making low embarrassingly needy noises as he rocked back to meet every move of Dean’s hand.

Dean tugged his fingers free again after a few minutes, licking slowly along the crease of Puck’s ass, and then Puck groaned softly as Dean pressed what had to be three fingers into him. It was a little uncomfortable at first just like before, stretching his ass open further, but that faded away soon and then Puck was rocking back to try to get Dean’s fingers deeper again as his dick throbbed and dripped precome onto the sheets under him.

Dean shifted behind him and then murmured, “You’re so fuckin’ hot like this.” He stroked his free hand over Puck’s hip, encouraging him to move back to meet every thrust of Dean’s fingers, and within a few moments Puck was shuddering and grinding back, needing something more.

Puck was pushing back onto Dean’s fingers again a few moments later, barely aware he was saying it out loud as he whispered, “More.”

“More what?” Dean asked softly, running his free hand along Puck’s side. “Tell me what you need.”

Puck shuddered and lifted up onto his elbows, turning his head to look at Dean as he murmured, “I need you to fuck me.” As soon as he said it he knew it was true, and that he was ready even though the idea still scared him a little.

Dean shuddered, licking his lips before he pulled his fingers out of Puck again and murmured gruffly, “On your back, then.”

Puck swallowed hard but didn’t hesitate to move, rolling onto his back and then watching as Dean ripped open a condom and then smoothed it onto his dick, feeling a hint of amusement at the way Dean had just shoved his boxers down below his balls instead of bothering to take them off. Puck reached for his own dick, letting out a low pained noise because he was so hard it actually hurt when he touched it. He stroked his dick slowly and carefully, hoping that would help, but he shuddered instead as he realized that he would probably come before Dean was even inside him if he did that again. Puck definitely didn’t want that so he took his hand away from his dick and just watched as Dean smoothed a dollop of lube over his sheathed dick, which wasn’t quite as big as Puckzilla but was still pretty impressive, and then Dean was moving towards him again.

“Put your legs on my shoulders, babe,” Dean murmured, giving him a reassuring smile. “It’ll be easier on you that way.”

Puck did as he was told, lifting his feet to rest his calves on Dean’s shoulders as Dean moved in close. “C’mon, Dean. Let’s do this.”

Dean smirked and leaned his shoulders forward against Puck’s legs, bending him almost in half as Dean leaned to kiss him, hard and wet and kind of perfect as Puck felt something blunt and hot press firmly against his hole. Dean pulled away from the kiss, looking into Puck’s eyes as he asked softly, “You ready?”

“Past ready,” Puck agreed, moving his hands to Dean’s hips to try to tug him closer. “Just do it, Deano.”

Dean didn’t hesitate any more, pushing slowly into him, and Puck let his head fall back as he closed his eyes and let out a low whine. Dean’s dick felt _huge_ pushing into him and it kind of hurt until the crown suddenly popped past the tight ring of muscle Dean had spent so much time stretching. Dean stopped then, breathing loud and ragged as he murmured, “Fuck, you’re so _tight_.”

Puck was breathing hard and trembling slightly, but the discomfort that had made his hard-on start to soften a little was already fading into a weird kind of restless feeling that made him want to move. He shifted slightly, trying to push Dean a little deeper, but the position he was in gave him no way to get leverage to move _closer_ to Dean, even though he could have easily forced him away if he wanted to. He tightened his hands on Dean’s hips, trying to pull him closer as he opened his eyes again to look at Dean and murmured huskily, “I’m okay, babe. Just fuck me already.”

Dean took him at his word and moved his hips slowly forward, pushing in deeper as Puck let his eyes close again and then gasped when Dean’s dick brushed lightly across his prostate. Dean’s hands moved to Puck’s calves as Dean pulled back slowly, moving Puck’s legs to tilt his hips at a slightly different angle before he thrust in again, the change in angle making Dean’s dick rub more firmly against Puck’s prostate. Puck couldn’t keep from letting out a low whine Dean pulled back again, trying to pull Dean back into him as he gasped, “Again.”

Dean’s hips rocked forward to thrust into him again, drawing a low sound from Puck, and then Dean pulled back to do it again and Puck shuddered as his dick throbbed against his belly, hardening again. Dean didn’t pause again, settling into a slowly increasing pace that soon had Puck holding on to Dean’s hips for dear life as he felt his impending orgasm building to an almost painful intensity.

“Damn, baby,” Dean gasped after a few minutes. “You feel so fuckin’ good.”

Puck didn’t have the breath to answer, and then Dean’s hand was suddenly on his dick, closing around it and giving only one pull before Puck was crying out as he came, jerking and shuddering as he felt his ass clamp tight on Dean’s cock. Dean groaned and jerked, thrusting deeper than he had before and then stiffening as he came, hips jerking as Puck felt Dean’s dick throbbing inside him, each push of Dean’s hips making him move slightly in response as he shuddered and gasped for breath, light-headed and suddenly feeling overwhelmed.

Dean pulled out of him after a few moments, moving to get rid of the condom in the small trash can by the bed and then flopping down next to Puck as he tried to catch his breath. Puck just laid there with his eyes closed, shaking and feeling very exposed and vulnerable as he realized that not only had Dean popped his cherry, but he had done it so thoroughly and well that sex would never be the same again. Puck had always loved fucking women, but after what Dean had just done to him, he suddenly felt almost like he had never had _real_ sex before. Sex with Dean was supposed to be fun, supposed to just be _sex_ so he could know what to do with Kurt, but instead it had shaken him right down to the core and left him feeling wrecked and scared.

Puck’s eyes started to burn as he rolled to his side, putting his back towards Dean as he curled up, thinking about Kurt and wondering if he had just made a terrible mistake. He _loved_ Kurt, wanted to spend his _life_ with him, but he couldn’t fathom how sex with Kurt could possibly be as intense as it had just been with Dean.

Dean rolled towards Puck a moment later, one hand settling gently on Puck’s side as he asked softly, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Puck shook his head and rubbed at his face, suddenly mortified as he realized he was crying and somehow Dean knew it. “Nothing. I just…  I wasn’t ready for how that would feel.” He let out a little strangled laugh. “I hate it more than anything when a girl falls apart after sex, and here I am doin’ it myself.“ He swallowed hard and then added barely above a whisper, ”I’ve fucked plenty of women, but I never felt so …  _laid open_ by sex before. It’s just…  like, I can’t lie to myself at _all_ anymore, yknow? I really _do_ like sex with guys, and being fucked was so good it’s kind of freaking me out, and there’s no going back now that I know that, not ever.” He made himself turn his head to look at Dean, and the concern he saw in Dean’s expressive eyes made him wonder what Dean was feeling as he added softly, “And I bet you wanna run about now, huh?”

“I’m not running,” Dean said with a gentle little smile. “I know exactly what you’re going through, though. It was pretty intense.”

Puck rolled to lay on his back so he could see Dean better, searching Dean’s eyes as he asked softly, “Is it always like that? Getting fucked, I mean.”

Dean hesitated a moment and then murmured, “Depends on who you’re with, I think.” He began to run his right hand over Puck’s chest and belly slowly, seeming not to notice the smears of come even though he was watching the movement of his own hand like it was fascinating. “I don’t hook up with a lot of guys,” he added after a moment or two, “but when I do it’s usually better than bein’ with a girl, at least for me. I like women just fine, but there’s something … _more_ for me when I’m with a guy, especially if I’m the one gettin’ fucked.” He fell silent again for a moment before he admitted, “I kinda prefer it, even though I don’t hook up with a guy very often.”

Puck moved his hand to Dean’s cheek, trailing his fingers down to Dean’s chin and then lifting until Dean met his gaze. “I loved sex with women, every little thing about them used to turn me on, but after this…” He shook his head slightly, feeling kind of amazed but no longer quite so scared. “It won’t be hard to forget them if sex with Kurt will be anything like it was with you.”

“You love him, don’t you?” Dean asked, gazing into Puck’s eyes.

Puck smiled slowly, thinking about Kurt and how he felt about him. “Yeah. I really do.”

“Then it’ll be even better,” Dean said, smiling. “This was just sex between buddies, but with him, it’ll _mean_ something.”

Puck blinked in surprise, a little worried by the idea of sex with Kurt being even more intense than it had been with Dean. He couldn’t really wrap his mind around the idea even though kissing Kurt was still better than kissing anyone else had ever been, including Dean. After the last twenty minutes he couldn’t even _begin_ to imagine sex that could affect him even more, and that scared him more than he was really prepared for. He didn’t even stop to think before he said as much, murmuring, “Damn. Now I’m _really_ worried.”

Dean laughed and moved his hand to give Puck’s nipple ring a gentle tug as he teased, “Poor Puckasaurus, scared of pretty little Kurt Hummel.”

“I’ll show _you_ scared,” Puck said, laughing and blushing as he rolled towards Dean, pushing Dean onto his back as he kissed him hard.

Dean snickered into the rough kiss but didn’t try to get away, responding with enough obvious hunger that Puck didn’t have to wonder if Dean liked the idea of him taking control. Puck suddenly wanted to know what it would be like to fuck Dean, wanted to know what Dean had felt when Dean fucked _him_ , and the way Dean was arching up against him as they kissed made him think Dean was having the same ideas. Dean’s hands were running over Puck’s shoulders and back as they kissed, their tongues twisting and thrusting against each other, and it didn’t take long at all for Puck’s dick to show a renewed interest in the proceedings.

Puck shifted to move further over Dean, slipping a knee between Dean’s legs much the way he would have with a girl, and he smiled into the kiss when Dean didn’t hesitate at all, spreading his legs with low a pleased sound. Puck could feel the soft cotton of Dean’s boxers between them as he settled between Dean’s thighs, but he didn’t bother trying to get rid of them just yet. He expected to make out for a little while until Dean was ready for another round, but then Dean surprised him by wrapping his legs around Puck’s hips and grinding his rapidly hardening dick up against Puck’s belly. Puck pulled away from the kiss, looking down into Dean’s eyes and absently noticing that they were greener than usual as he asked softly, “You ready for round two already?”

Dean smiled, moving one hand to stroke Puck’s mohawk slowly as he murmured, “Just shut up and fuck me, babe.”

Puck smirked, surprised but pleased as he let Dean pull him down into another kiss.

He wasn’t about to argue.

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

 

 

“We didn’t!” Kurt blurted. “God, how many times do I have to _tell_ you that?”

“Until you stop _lyin’_ ,” Mercedes said quickly, rolling her eyes. “I saw you afterwards, baby boy, I _know_ you got off. You smelled like jizz and were all sweaty, and we both know you don’t jerk off in the bathroom at lunch like some guys do.”

“That doesn’t mean we had _sex_ ,” Kurt said, beet red and feeling mortified. “He just gave me a blow job!“

Mercedes and Tina both went wide-eyed and started grinning, and Kurt realized that Mercedes had finally gotten him to tell them what happened. He gave Mercedes a dirty look, trying to ignore how hot his face felt even though he was sure he was blushing redder than his new sweater, which he was wearing because it fit him perfectly and he loved how it felt against his skin. It was just right to keep him warm in his sometimes-chilly basement and so soft against his skin it was almost like wearing a cloud, and it was already one of his favorites even though he hadn’t had it long at all.

“And you will _not_ tease him about it," Kurt added, "or I _swear_ I will walk right up to Matt in Glee on Monday and tell him you want to have his shy little babies!”

Mercedes spluttered as Tina started giggling, both of them still wide-eyed.

“And you _know_ he’ll believe me,” Kurt pointed out, his chin lifting as he gave Mercedes a quelling look. “Especially after Noah backs me up.”

“You wouldn’t _dare_ ,” Mercedes said quickly, indignant.

“Oh yes I would,” Kurt countered quickly, “and Noah would back me up in a heartbeat!”

“This is _blackmail_ ,” Mercedes said, scowling.

“Yes, it most definitely is,” Kurt agreed. “I want your word that you aren’t going to breathe a _word_ about what Noah and I have done together to _anyone_ outside this room, _including Noah_ , or I swear to Gaga that I will tell Matt all about how you fell for him _months_ ago when you were at that party Santana threw for all the Cheerios and jocks and he danced with you five times because he was tipsy enough not to be so shy.”

Mercedes just stared at Kurt for a moment and then said grudgingly, “Alright. I promise.”

Kurt looked at Tina expectantly and she said quickly, “I promise too. You don’t have to blackmail me, I won’t even tell Artie.”

“You’d better not, he’s an even bigger gossip than you two are,” Kurt said with a soft little snort, shifting on the couch as he settled back into the cushions again, still feeling flushed.

It wasn’t so bad that Dean knew Noah had given Kurt his first hummer, especially considering the fact that Dean and Noah were likely to end up having sex sometime before the night was over. Dean was probably going to be Noah’s first for things Kurt didn’t even know about yet, and as far as Kurt was concerned that meant that Dean should know everything he and Noah had done. Knowing Noah’s limited experience with guys would make it easier for Dean to make sure Noah learned everything he needed to know so Noah could feel confident when Noah and Kurt finally had sex.

Mercedes was a completely different kettle of fish, though, and not just because she and Noah had never gotten as far as first base. She loved to tease Noah and she could be merciless when she had some juicy bit of gossip about him to torture him with. Knowing that Noah had been the one to suck Kurt off, not the other way around, was something Mercedes would have teased Noah ruthlessly about if Kurt hadn’t preemptively dragged out major blackmail to stop her. Kurt was quite sure that people were assuming he was the bottom in his relationship with Noah in all ways, and he didn’t want Noah to have to go through the hell that would surely result if the school found out that Noah had gladly gone down on his knees for Kurt.

“I think I should head home,” Quinn said quietly, and when Kurt looked over at her he had to smile at how amused she looked. She was curled up sideways in Noah’s favorite chair under his letterman jacket, her head pillowed on one folded arm against the back of the chair as she watched the three on the couch. She was obviously barely able to keep her eyes open, and Kurt knew that if she were at home she would have gone to bed already even though it wasn’t much after eight o’clock. “It’s fun to watch them torture you, Kurt, but I’m half asleep.”

Kurt was glad of the excuse to escape from Mercedes and Tina for a few minutes, and he bounced up off the couch quickly as he said, “I’ll give you a ride home, sweetie.”

Quinn smiled and shifted, twisting in the chair to move her bare feet to the floor and then pushing herself a little more upright. “You don’t have to do that, Kurt. I have to take the Ranger, remember?”

“Not when you’re about to fall asleep,” Mercedes said quickly. “Let the boy drive you home, we’ll still be here when he gets back.”

“Puck will need the Ranger in the morning,” Quinn disagreed, moving to put the letterman jacket on. “Besides, Kurt should be here with you two. I know you’ve been waiting all week for tonight.”

“They’ll survive that long without me to torture.” Kurt moved over to kneel by the chair Quinn was in, reaching for her shoes to put them on for her as he smiled up at her. “You shouldn’t drive when you’re so tired, and Finn can follow us in the Navigator, he won’t mind.”

Finn would actually love the idea, Kurt was sure. Finn had hinted more than once that he’d like to borrow Kurt’s truck sometime, especially now that Kurt was so often riding to school with Noah. Kurt wasn’t about to agree to the idea just for Finn to drive his truck to school, but he had begun thinking that he might let Finn borrow it for the occasional date with Rachel. Letting Finn drive it that evening would be the perfect chance for Kurt to watch him drive and see how Finn did with his baby.

“We can watch a movie,” Tina said, jumping up off the couch to move towards Kurt’s entertainment center and the bag of movies in the floor by it. “Kurt said he’s seen all of the ‘ _Bring It On_ ’ movies, but we missed the third one.”

“And have a snack,” Mercedes added, grinning as she stood to walk over to her duffle bag. “I brought Poppycock.”

Kurt laughed at how Tina beamed at that idea, standing to offer Quinn his hands with a smile. “See? They’ll be fine.”

Quinn smiled, looking sheepish as she took his hands to let him haul her to her feet. She moved one hand to her back as soon as she was upright, rubbing slowly as she said finally, “Alright, I’ll stop arguing.”

“Good girl,” Kurt teased, leaning to kiss her cheek and then moving away to get her purse off of his dressing table. “Not arguing with me saves everyone time.”

Quinn giggled and started towards the stairs as she said cheerfully, “Unlike Puck, I’m not _always_ going to let you win, Kurt.”

Kurt laughed, grabbing his leather coat off the back of the couch and then hurrying after Quinn. “He very seldom _lets_ me win, I have to work for it, I promise you.”

“On your knees, it sounds like,” Mercedes added, with a snort.

Kurt couldn’t let that stand, but he didn’t look back at Mercedes as he said, “I never said _Noah_ got a blow job today.”

Quinn laughed and started up the stairs with Kurt right behind her as Mercedes blurted, “Tell me my boy didn’t just say he got _Puck_ to blow him without returning the favor?”

Tina giggled and said, “I can’t! That’s what he said.”

“Huh,” Mercedes said, and then paused slightly before she added, “Puck must _really_ love him.”

Quinn looked at Kurt then, giving him a happy smile as she bumped her shoulder against Kurt’s and murmured, “He does.”

Kurt smiled at Quinn, feeling a rush of warmth as he offered her his arm and very conscious of the fact Mercedes and Tina had fallen silent to listen in. “Lucky for me, since I love him so much it scares me sometimes.”

Quinn beamed and took his arm to let him help her the rest of the way up the stairs, looking very happy even though he could tell by the way she was moving that walking up the stairs was hurting her back. “Good, he needs you.”

Kurt blushed but he smiled a little wider as he said, “Not as much as I need him.”

“I know him like no one else does, Kurt,” Quinn disagreed, giving him a sweet smile. “He needs you like he needs air to breathe, and every day he just falls more in love with you. He’d be _lost_ without you.”

They paused at the top of the stairs and Kurt reached for the door to open it, and then guided Quinn into the kitchen as he smiled at her and said, “I know he needs me. I can tell, even if he’s still not quite able to say the words.”

“He’s told everyone but you then, Kurt,” Carole said suddenly, sounding amused. Kurt looked towards the sound of her voice in surprise, watching her walk into the kitchen as she added, “He told Finn and I that he loves you yesterday at breakfast.”

“And me,” Burt agreed, following Carole into the kitchen and moving towards his usual chair, looking amused. “I got the idea he had told you too, though.”

“He’s made sure I _feel_ loved,” Kurt said quickly. He felt his face heating up at the way Burt and Carole were looking at him in surprise, making him lift his chin slightly as he added, “He knows I love him, and I know how he feels. I can wait for the words.”

Quinn patted Kurt’s arm gently, and when he looked at her he saw she was smiling as she said, “You might have to ask him, Kurt. He’s very good at being honest when someone asks him a question, but if you don’t ask, he’s also good at taking it for granted that the people he loves know how he feels about them.”

Kurt smiled. “I _do_ know, sweetie. He’s made sure I know he loves me just as well as I know my own name. I can feel it every time we touch, even if he’s just holding my hand.”

“That’s sweet,” Quinn said, smiling wider. “But if you ever want to _hear_ it, you might want to think about asking him.”

“I’ll think about it,” Kurt agreed, amused.

“Why don’t you two have a seat?” Carole said, drawing everyone’s attention back to her as she took a fragrant cobbler out of the microwave. “The cobbler is cool enough to eat.”

Quinn moved towards the breakfast bar, eyes widening as she asked happily, “Is that _raspberries_ I smell?”

Carole laughed, nodding. “Fresh organic raspberries, even, and there’s vanilla ice cream to top it with.”

“Oh, lovely,” Quinn said happily, moving to sit on one of the stools. “I’ve been craving raspberries for two _days_.”

Carole smiled at Quinn as she sat the cobbler on the island, then glanced at Kurt as she said teasingly, “Someone should have told me, since he knew there were fresh raspberries in the fridge.”

Kurt laughed softly and moved to get himself a glass of water as he said, “In my defense, she hadn’t told _me_.”

“Puck knows, he’s the one who went out to get me some raspberry yogurt at four in the morning today,” Quinn pointed out with a laugh.

Kurt gave Quinn an amused look. “Yes, well, Noah and I had other things to talk about at school today.”

Quinn smirked. “From what _I_ heard, there wasn’t a lot of talking involved.” 

Carole laughed and moved to get bowls as Kurt’s eyes widened and he felt his face heating up as he stared quellingly at Quinn. “We _so_ don’t need to talk about that _now_.”

“I just meant that I heard—“ Quinn started with a wicked little grin, but Burt cut her off.

“Just stop right there, Quinn,” Burt said gruffly, and when Kurt risked a glance at him he saw his dad looked amused and was avoiding his gaze. “I’m sure you’re gettin’ a kick out of teasin’ Kurt, but I don’t wanna know what he and his boyfriend are up to.” He finally looked at Kurt then, giving him a searching look. “As long as Noah’s still keepin’ his word to me.”

“He is, Dad, I promise,” Kurt said quickly, still beet red and suddenly glad that was the truth. His dad _always_ knew when he lied, even if Burt didn’t call him on it, and he didn’t want Burt to have any reason to not like Noah.

“Then whatever you two did is okay with me, as long as you didn’t get caught an’ suspended,” Burt said with a little bit of a laugh. “Just don’t talk about it in front of me, ‘cause I don’t wanna know.”

Kurt continued to the cabinet to get glasses for himself and Quinn, not looking at anyone as he said, “We didn’t get caught.” He moved to the fridge to get some ice, adding, “What would you like to drink, Quinn?”

“Water’s fine,” Quinn said, sounding amused.

Kurt put ice in both glasses and then moved to the sink to fill them as Carole asked, “So, Quinn, have you and Kurt discussed my offer yet?”

“What offer?” Quinn asked, surprised. “What’s she talking about, Kurt?”

Kurt finished filling the glasses and then carried them back to the island to sit next to Quinn, giving her a sheepish smile. “I meant to talk to you at lunch today, but then Noah and I got distracted and I didn’t get a chance to. Carole has offered to take care of Beth during the day after she’s born. I mentioned it last night, remember?”

Quinn stared at him a moment and then looked at Carole. “Why would you do that? You have a _job_ , Carole.”

“One that Burt has been asking me to quit anyway,” Carole pointed out, smiling at Quinn as she dished up a bowl of cobbler and topped it with a scoop of ice cream. “Noah is like a son to me, and Kurt tells me that you can’t find a way to be able to keep Beth without either of you dropping out to take care of her, so I want to help. You know how I was looking forward to having a grandbaby around the house, sweetie, even if I never told Finn.”

Quinn stared at Carole a little longer, watching Carole give Burt his bowl, and then said quietly, “It’s not just the babysitting, Carole. Nancy wants me and Beth out of the house, if I don’t raise her Jewish and start keeping kosher. I don’t want to do that, and Puck doesn’t want me to, but we’ve got nowhere to go if we don’t.”

“We’ve got a fold-out couch, if you need it,” Burt pointed out quietly, making everyone look at him in surprise. He flushed and looked down as he picked up his spoon to dig into his dessert, adding, “Kurt’s told me how important this is to him and Noah, and I already told Noah to just let me know if you kids need help.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” Kurt said softly, feeling a sudden rush of love and relief.

“Even though Puck told Nancy that if she kicks me and Beth out, he’s leaving too?” Quinn asked quietly.

Burt looked at Quinn. “Kurt will be happier with him here anyway, if it comes to that, and havin’ Beth here all the time will make things easier on her and on Carole, so yeah. Even then.”

“You’d really let him move in with me?” Kurt asked, staring at his dad in surprise. Letting Quinn stay was one thing – she was one of Kurt’s best friends, and a _girl_ so there was no chance they had ulterior motives – but letting _Noah_ live with him was completely different. There was absolutely no chance that Kurt and Noah could live together without having sex, Kurt knew, and he was very sure that his dad knew that. He had expected that Noah would end up on Dean’s couch, really.

“You already asked me if he could stay overnight sometimes,” Burt pointed out, meeting Kurt’s gaze with a crooked little smile. “I figure you never would have done that if you didn’t want him here, son.”

“I do,” Kurt admitted, still staring at his dad. “I’d love to have him with me every night, even though I hope he won’t _need_ to live here. He loves his mother and his little sister, and it’ll be extremely painful for him if Nancy forces him to choose whether to take care of them or of Quinn and Beth.”

“Are you even sure he’d choose us?” Quinn asked, making Kurt look at her in shock.

“Of course he would!” Kurt said immediately, staring at Quinn. “He would do _anything_ for you and Beth, Quinn. Tell me that you _knew_ that, please.”

Quinn blushed a little, looking down at where her hand rested on the curve of her belly. “I _do_ , kind of, but I also know how much he loves Sarah, and that he’d do _anything_ for her and his mom.”

“Not this,” Kurt said firmly, making Quinn look up at him in surprise. “He would _never_ allow you to be forced into being a single mom because of him, and neither would I. We both know that’s not what you want, and we’re prepared to take care of Beth on our own so you won’t ever have to carry that burden unless you _want_ to, Quinn. She will always be your daughter, but we both know you never wanted children and that you would have already given Beth up for adoption if I hadn’t spent the last two months reminding you _constantly_ how badly Noah wants to be a good dad.”

Quinn searched Kurt’s eyes for a moment and then asked softly, “Do you think I’m a bad person, for not wanting my baby?”

Kurt reached for her hand. “Oh sweetie, no, not _ever_. Some people just aren’t cut out to be parents, and it’s a _good_ thing that you know that about yourself. It would be infinitely worse if you lied to yourself and tried to be the perfect little housewife. Then you would be _miserable_ , and sooner or later it would be too much for you.”

Carole put a bowl of cobbler and ice cream in front of Quinn. “I wish more young women were so self-aware, Quinn. I see parents every day at work that shouldn’t be allowed to raise a _cat_ , much less a child, but there’s nothing anyone can do about it most of the time.”

Quinn looked at Carole, asking very quietly, “And you’re sure you want to do this? To help Noah keep Beth?” She looked at Burt. “Both of you?”

Kurt wasn’t really surprised by it as he realized that Quinn wasn’t including herself in keeping Beth. He knew Quinn as well as he knew anyone except possibly Noah, and he knew that the very idea of being a mom made her want to turn and run. She wasn’t likely to spend a lot of time with Beth after she was born, and Kurt knew there was a chance that Quinn wouldn't want to be around her at all.

“I already told him that,” Burt said just a bit gruffly, nodding. “I’m convinced he really wants to do right by his little girl, an’ I think he deserves a chance to prove it. I know the guy’s got a bad reputation, and he’s made mistakes just like we all do growin’ up, but from what I’ve seen of him, he’s tryin’ _hard_ to be a good man.”

“Absolutely,” Carole said without hesitation, carrying her own bowl around the table with her as she moved to sit down. “Noah already agreed to go to college, and that was my only condition.”

Quinn went wide-eyed again as she watched Carole sit down between her and Burt. “You got him to agree to four more years of _school_?”

Carole smiled at Quinn. “No, Kurt got him to agree.”

Quinn turned to Kurt, still wide-eyed. “What in the _world_ did you promise him? A Ferrari?”

“A chance to raise his daughter,” Kurt replied simply, smiling slightly at Quinn. “As soon as I told him Carole had offered to take care of her while we attend school, he agreed to her conditions. I didn’t have to convince him at all.” He smiled wider. “He’s even already sure of what he wants to study, so I think he must have considered it before, whether he admitted it to anyone or not.”

“What does he want to study?” Quinn asked, curious and obviously still surprised. “As far as I knew he wasn’t even completely sure he’d finish _high school_.”

“Business management and auto mechanics,” Kurt admitted, not looking at his dad. “He knows that I worry about how much Dad works, and that I work at the garage whenever I can to help, so he wants to know all he’ll need to know to work for Dad so I can pursue other things when I want to without leaving Dad understaffed.”

“Really,” Burt said, drawing Kurt’s attention to him.

Burt’s expression wasn’t giving away much about what he was thinking, and Kurt prayed that he approved as he said quickly, “Yes, Dad, really. He likes and respects you quite a lot, and he loves me and knows it will make me feel _much_ better if you have someone we can trust to run things so you’ll have more time off. We hoped you would even take some time off this summer and let us prove we can do it.”

“That _would_ be lovely,” Carole agreed, smiling at Burt. “You can spend some time with Beth and I.”

“You wouldn’t have to keep Beth for us during the summer,” Kurt said quickly, making Carole and Burt both look at him again. “Just during school. We won’t have a problem finding someone to keep an eye on her when school’s out, I know. If Sarah doesn’t want to help, Mercedes or Tina will.”

“I will help,” Rachel said suddenly, making Kurt look towards the kitchen doorway in surprise. Rachel was beaming as she moved a bit further into the kitchen, Finn looming right behind her looking less than thrilled but not arguing. “I’ve been babysitting my neighbor’s four year old daughter since she was a newborn, and I would be _proud_ to watch Beth.”

Kurt stared at Rachel in surprise for a moment before he murmured, “Thank you, Rachel. That will mean a _lot_ to him, I know.” He smiled. “It means a lot to me, too.”

“Then it’s settled,” Rachel said happily. “Any time that Beth needs a babysitter and I am not in school or scheduled for a performance, I will be happy to watch her.”

“We should go, Rachel,” Finn pointed out quietly. “It’s eight-thirty, and your dads said if you break curfew again you’ll be grounded instead of just having to be home early.”

“Right!” Rachel agreed quickly, turning her attention to Carole and Burt. “Thank you for having me, it’s been a _lovely_ evening.”

“We were glad to have you, Rachel,” Carole said quickly, smiling. “You’re welcome to come over any time.”

“Thank you,” Rachel said, smiling happily as she nodded. “Good night, everyone.” She turned to go, grabbing Finn’s hand.

“Wait,” Kurt said quickly, jumping up to move towards Rachel and Finn, who both stared at him in surprise. “Do you mind driving the Navigator and going by Noah’s to pick me up on your way home, Finn?”

“No, but why?” Finn asked, looking at Kurt in confusion.

Kurt smiled at Finn, taking his keys off the rack by the kitchen door and then offering them to Finn. “Quinn is too tired for me to let her drive home alone, but Noah needs the Ranger in the morning so I can’t just drop her off.”

Finn looked down at the keys for a moment and then took them. “Okay. I guess.” He lifted his gaze to Kurt’s again. “I was planning to stay at Rachel’s for a little while, though. Her dads always want me to sit down and talk, and they’re kinda cool so I usually do.”

“That’s fine,” Kurt said quickly, smiling at Finn. “We aren’t ready to leave yet, and I won’t mind spending some time at Noah’s if we get there before you’re done. You do whatever you need to do, we’ll be fine.”

“Sarah adores Kurt,” Quinn added quietly, “and Nancy thinks he’s a good influence on Noah.”

“Okay, good,” Finn said, turning to go as if Quinn hadn’t even spoken. “Text if you need something before I get there, Kurt.”

“We’ll be fine,” Kurt repeated, smiling.

Finn just nodded and kept going, and Rachel looked back as she let him tow her out of the kitchen. “Good night!”

Kurt moved back to his seat as Burt and Carole both repeated ‘good night’, sitting down and then reaching for the small bowl of cobbler Carole had gotten for him, glad that she had given him half the portion the others had. He took a bite, humming happily at the taste of the warm cobbler and the creamy melted ice cream, and then he gave Carole a bright smile. “This is _wonderful_.”

Carole beamed, pleased. “Thank you. The recipe is in the same cookbook as my mother’s waffles, if you want to make it sometime, Kurt. It works with any fresh fruit.”

“I will definitely be making this one,” Kurt said, pleased. “It’s delicious.”

“Blueberries are Noah’s favorite,” Quinn pointed out, giving Kurt a teasing little smile. “And he loves apples, too.”

“I know,” Kurt agreed, smiling at Quinn as he added, “But he doesn’t like raspberries, so you can’t blame that craving on him.”

“Beth does,” Quinn said with a little laugh. “I’ve wanted raspberry _everything_ for days, when I wasn’t busy drooling over the thought of a tuna salad or wanting bacon so badly I couldn’t think about anything else.”

Carole laughed. “I remember what that was like. When I was pregnant with Finn I craved peanut butter, mayonnaise, and pickle sandwiches.”

Burt looked amused. “That sounds terrible.”

“It is, definitely,” Carole agreed, smiling at Burt. “I was hungry one day when he was about a week old and made one out of habit, and it was the worst thing I have ever tasted in my life.”

Burt chuckled. “Kurt’s mom never had the wild cravings when she was pregnant with him. She was just hungry all the time.”

“Lucky her,” Quinn said, amused. “The other night all I wanted for _hours_ was nacho cheese Doritos, and I don’t even _like_ them.”

“Were they good?” Carole asked Quinn, grinning.

“Wonderful,” Quinn agreed with an answering grin. “I ate a whole big bag before I realized it. Puck pouted for half an hour when he found out. They’re his favorite, and he had just bought the bag because _he_ was craving them.”

Carole laughed. “So it was his own fault.”

“That’s what I told him,” Quinn agreed, giggling.

Kurt just laughed and shook his head, looking down to eat his dessert. Somehow, he was sure that Quinn would keep blaming things on Noah long after Beth was born, just because she could. She had gotten very used to Noah taking care of her, and Kurt was sure that Quinn would still be a big part of their lives even if she didn’t let them keep Beth. He thought she would, prayed she would even though he didn’t quite believe in God, and after the last half hour he had much more hope that it would happen.

Carole and Quinn were discussing cravings they had both had during their pregnancies, but Kurt tuned them out, lost in thought as he ate his dessert. It was still hard for him to let himself hope that maybe he really had succeeded in helping Noah get the one thing that he knew Noah wanted most, but he couldn’t stop himself from doing it anyway. He knew that he could be setting himself up for heartbreak, but he hoped that he was right about Quinn and that given options and the promise of a loving, stable home for Beth, she would prove him right.

“You got awful quiet down there, son,” Burt said as Kurt was finishing his cobbler, making Kurt look up at his dad in surprise as Carole and Quinn fell silent. Burt was giving Kurt a searching look, already finished with his dessert. “You okay?”

“I’m wonderful,” Kurt said quickly, smiling at his dad. “Just thinking.”

“What about?” Quinn asked, looking at him with a smile.

“You don’t want to know, sweetie,” Kurt said, giving her a crooked smile.

“Which means you’re thinking about Beth,” Quinn said, her smile fading a bit.

“Well, yes,” Kurt admitted, “but I know it’s been very hard for you to decide what you need to do, not just for Beth but for yourself. You’ve been given a lot to think about tonight, so I’m trying not to push you.”

“I know it probably makes me a bad person,” Quinn said quietly, “but I don’t want to give up my dreams just because I got drunk _once_ and made a mistake, and I won’t let my child be raised by strangers in daycare like I was.”

“You’re not a bad person at all, Quinn,” Carole said gently, reaching out to take Quinn’s hand. “And I know this has to be very hard for you, making such an important decision about your daughter’s future and your own, but I want to point out just one thing before I let it drop, if I may?”

Quinn gave Carole’s hand a squeeze, smiling softly. “Of course.”

Carole smiled. “ _We’re_ not strangers, sweetie. You’ve known me since kindergarten, and Noah has been almost as close to me as my own son for even longer. You’ve known Kurt for years, and you know Burt well, and if you let us _all_ help you care for Beth, I am very sure she will grow up safe and happy. She wouldn’t have the most traditional family, that’s true, but she would have a _loving_ family, and one that you’re close to so you can be with her any time you want.”

“I know,” Quinn agreed, nodding. “I just… It’s a life-changing decision, not just for me and Beth, but for Noah, and for Kurt, and even you and Burt. I _have_ to think about it before I make a decision.”

“Of course you do, honey,” Carole said, giving Quinn’s hand another squeeze and then letting go. “Just, remember. You’re not alone in this. We’re here for you.”

“And we’ll all accept your decision,” Kurt added, making Quinn look at him again. “We don’t want you to feel forced into anything, sweetheart. Noah and I have discussed it and we’re both going to try very hard to _always_ be there for you no matter what choice you make.”

Quinn swallowed hard, her brown eyes starting to shine with unshed tears. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you two.”

Kurt smiled, reaching out as he moved off his chair to hug her and murmured, “You didn’t have to do anything, sweetie. We love you, and that won’t ever change.”

Quinn hugged him tightly, sniffling a bit, and then she kissed his cheek. “I love you too, Kurt. You’re the little brother I always wanted.”

“Even though I’m almost a week older?” Kurt teased, amused.

Quinn pulled away, giggling slightly as she wiped her eyes. “The last year counts as two for me, at least.”

Kurt laughed as he sat back down on his chair. “I’ll concede that point without argument,” he agreed, amused, and then his back pocket started to vibrate in the double pulse he had set for texts from Noah so he would always know it was him. He shifted to reach for his cell phone, surprised and looking at Quinn as he stood up again. “I need to go answer this, sweetie.”

“Don’t tell him any of this,” Quinn blurted, looking worried. “Not until I have time to think about it. Please?”

“He knows we were going to talk to you about it tonight,” Kurt said gently, his smile fading slightly. “That’s one of the reasons he didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want you to feel like he was pushing you.”

Quinn looked into Kurt’s eyes for a moment and then managed to smile at him. “Okay.”

Kurt patted her shoulder. “I _had_ to discuss it with him, sweetie. He’s worked very hard not to show it around you, but he thinks about Beth constantly, and well…” He flushed slightly and then admitted, “I couldn’t stand seeing him in pain. There may come a day that I regret giving him hope again, but I’ve been praying that won’t happen.”

“But you don’t even believe in God,” Quinn said softly, staring into Kurt’s eyes in surprise.

“He does,” Kurt said quietly with a little shrug. “He’s prayed about it a lot, I know, even lets his Nana Connie drag him to Temple to pray there with her every week. If he’s so sure that it might help I had to try it, just in case he’s right.”

Quinn was silent for almost a minute before she said softly, “God hears everyone’s prayers, even if you don’t quite believe in Him, Kurt.” She gave him a soft little smile, adding, “Go find out what Puck wanted.”

Kurt smiled, blushing and glad of an excuse to change the subject. “How did you know it was Noah that texted?”

“Because your dad and Carole are right here, Mercedes and Tina are downstairs, and anyone else you would have ignored right now,” Quinn pointed out. “The only other person as important to you as trying to get me to keep Beth is Noah.”

“True,” Kurt admitted, bending impulsively to kiss her cheek. “I won’t talk to him long.”

“Good,” Quinn agreed as she reached for her water. “We should go soon.”

“I know,” Kurt agreed, moving into the living room where he could have a little privacy to answer Noah’s text. He had a feeling that Noah was just asking if he could call, since Noah had made a habit of that, and considering Noah’s plans for the night, he didn’t want to keep him waiting too long.

Kurt accepted the text as he walked to his dad’s recliner, letting out a soft little laugh as he read, ‘ _babe u would never believe how much money d makes playing pool.’_

Kurt dropped into Burt’s chair, smiling as he tapped out a reply. ‘ _try me._ ’

Noah answered almost immediately, and Kurt knew he had been holding his cell waiting. ‘ _I bet hes got 500 in his pocket right now & hes still goin strong.’_

Kurt’s eyes went wide as he sent, _‘holy shit!!_ ’

Noah’s reply came back almost instantly. _‘i know right? hes wipin the floor w the meatheds at petes. its AWESOME!_ ’

Kurt laughed softly. ‘ _are you learning anything?’_

‘ _that i so need 2 learn 2 play pool,’_ Noah replied, followed immediately by, ‘ _if i was as good as d id never have 2 work again.’_

Kurt giggled. ‘ _it might be an easy way to supplement your income._ ’

‘ _i play worse than the guys hes beatin babe_ ,’ Noah sent back quickly. ‘ _rachel could probly kick my ass at pool & i doubt she evr played it_.’

‘ _that’s sad noah_ ,’ Kurt sent, grinning.

‘ _i know_ ,’ Noah replied. ‘ _thats wht i meant. lol'_

Kurt giggled, thinking a moment before he sent, ‘ _i’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. you needed a night out_.’

‘ _its been fun but hes still not u_ ,’ Noah replied after only a moment, followed quickly by another text. ‘ _wish u were here w me babe. id like to be holdin u_.’ A third text followed that one before Kurt could start to reply. ‘ _id call now 2 hear ur voice but petes is 2 loud & d needs me watchin his back. he hasnt lost a game yet._’

Kurt smiled, putting one hand to his heart for a moment. ‘ _maybe next time i could go along, if dean wouldn’t mind_.’

‘ _d is cool_ ,’ Noah replied. ‘ _he knows u come 1st 4 me no matter wht me & him do. he wouldnt mind_.’

‘ _so you did?_ ’ Kurt typed, not letting himself think about it before he hit send.

‘ _yeah petes is dead b4 6 so we had time 2 kill_.’

Kurt wanted to ask all kinds of questions, but he suddenly realized he wanted to _hear_ Noah’s answers, not just read them, so he texted, ‘ _i expect you to tell me about it soon_.’

‘ _2morro i promise,_ ’ Noah replied quickly. ‘ _we can talk after temple, while i work_.’

Kurt smiled, pleased. ‘ _that would be perfect. i can leave the girls to their shopping for a little while and get a latte while we talk_.’

‘ _its a date baby_ ,’ Noah sent. ‘ _what r ur plans 4 2nite?_ ’

‘ _i’m about to take quinn home,_ ’ Kurt answered. ‘ _she’s tired and i don’t want her driving, so i let finn drive the nav to take rachel home. he's picking me up at your house on his way home._ ’

‘ _i should let u go then babe. i know u got the girls 2 so ill say gnite now. sleep well when u do_.’

 _‘i will, i promise. good night, sweetheart. i love you_.”

_‘luv u 2.  XOXO’_

Kurt beamed as he texted back, ‘ _lucky me!_ _XOXO_ ’

‘ _im the lucky 1 baby._ ’

Kurt was beaming happily still as he closed his phone and stood, tucking the phone back into his pocket as he walked quickly back into the kitchen to tell Quinn he was ready to go. Noah still hadn’t managed to _say_ the words, but typing them was almost as good, and he was sure that if he kept being patient and making sure Noah knew how much he loved him, he’d hear those three amazing little words soon.

 

~*~

 

Puck tucked his phone back in his right front pocket of his jeans, and looked up to see Dean was standing very close to his side, smirking. “Had to make sure he hadn’t forgotten you, huh?” Dean teased, reaching for his beer, which was on the bar behind Puck.

Puck could feel his face heating up, but he didn’t let his grin slip a bit. “He says I need to get you to teach me to play.”

Dean snickered. “After what I saw earlier, I’m almost afraid to try.” He drained what was left of his beer, which wasn’t much because Puck had finished off most of it, and then he gestured for the bartender to bring two more and put the empty bottle on the bar next to Puck’s empty. He looked at Puck, smirking as he added, “You kinda suck, dude.”

Puck snorted, grinning as he murmured, “Are you hinting you don’t want me to suck you anymore?”

Dean smirked a little more wickedly, lowering his voice so even Puck could barely hear him as he murmured, “No, you were pretty damned good at that, for a beginner.”

Puck preened, smug. “I intend to do a lot of practicing anyway.”

Dean let out a soft, low laugh. “I’d say lucky me, but I got a feelin’ Kurt’ll be the one benefiting from that.”

“We’re not having sex yet,” Puck agreed quietly, “but he’s getting tired of making out until we’re both hard enough to pound nails and then having to stop and cool off. Hummers are a good compromise. We get off, and still keep my promise to his dad that Kurt’s gonna keep his v-card a while longer.”

Dean nodded, fishing a five out of his pocket and passing it to the bartender, then looked back at Puck as he took both beers, offering one to Puck. “I figured it was something like that.” He smiled, amused as he added, “I haven’t gotten the feeling he’s ready for it yet anyway. He seems kinda … innocent.”

“He is,” Puck agreed as he accepted his beer, then let out a little laugh. “Or he was, until I gave him a dirty mind by kissing him the other day.”

Dean snickered, watching Puck take a sip of his beer. “He’s blamin’ it all on you, huh?”

“When I let him,” Puck said with a laugh. “It makes him feel better than it would if I pointed out I’m not the one that has been leading the way when we end up in storage closets or half-naked on his bed.”

Dean smirked. “You two get caught yet?”

“By his dad,” Puck admitted, amused. “We were just laying on Kurt’s bed, but yeah. Burt walked in on us.” He snickered. “Kurt grabbed a pillow to hide behind like his dad’s never seen him shirtless or something, and I swear he was blushing to his knees, he was so embarrassed.”

Dean laughed and took a drink of his beer, then grinned and teased, “Since I didn’t find any bullet holes in your hide, I gather his dad approves?”

“Burt’s cool. As long as I make Kurt happy, we’re gonna get along fine, I think.” Puck smiled suddenly, adding, “He’s even said he’s got my back if Quinn lets me keep Beth.” He smiled a little wider. “Well, lets _us_ keep Beth. Kurt’s going to be right next to me through it all, I know. It’s all up to Quinn, now.”

“That’s great,” Dean said quietly, looking pleased. “I hope it all works out. If Rachel’s dads can do it, you an’ Kurt oughta be able to figure it out.”

“I think so too,” Puck said. “I didn’t screw Sarah up too bad, so I think we can do right by Beth. I mean, Kurt’s been an honorary girl since he was eight, and I’ve been through the hard stuff like giving a girl the talk and buying all the crap girls need, so I figure we’ve got a good head start.”

“Sure you do,” Dean agreed with a chuckle, nodding. “You two’ll do fine.”

Dean glanced towards the pool tables and Puck followed his gaze, and then smirked when he saw a guy he recognized was looking over the table Dean had recently left. Tony Santini was one of the locals who seldom found anyone willing to play pool with him because he was pretty good, but when he did, he bet a lot more than most to make up for it. “He’s good, and he knows it so he’ll throw a lot down on a game.”

Dean met Puck’s gaze again, still smirking as he put his beer on the bar behind Puck again and murmured, “Time for me to get back to work, then. Watch my beer, Puckasaurus.”

“You got it, Deano,” Puck agreed, grinning. “Have fun kicking his ass.”

Dean smirked and turned away without another word to Puck, moving towards the pool table again as he asked Tony, “You interested in a friendly little game of eight ball?”

The smile Tony gave Dean was wide and smug as Tony pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket. “Sure, kid, if you want to learn how to _really_ play.”

Dean’s smirk widened into a grin. “You’re on, old man. What’re we playing for?”

“Two hundred?” Tony half asked, peeling a stack of twenties off the wad he was carrying. “I’ve been watching you fleece the boys, so I know you’ve got it.”

“That’s a good start,” Dean agreed, digging in his pocket to pull out a handful of cash and counting off the money, then laying it on the edge of the table and looking expectantly at Tony.

Tony added his money to the stack as he said with a smirk, “Rack ‘em up then, kid.”

“Grab your stick, old timer,” Dean replied, setting an empty glass on the cash.

Tony just laughed and moved to get a pool cue while Dean started to gather the balls out of the pockets around the table and then began racking them up to start a new game.

Puck shifted on his stool to get a little more comfortable, settling back to rest his elbows on the bar behind him with his beer still dangling from one hand while he watched them, smirking. If Dean could keep it close enough to make Tony think it was luck that let Dean win the first round, then he could probably fleece the guy for double what was already on the table, easy.

The thought of making that much cash off two games of _pool_ was totally awesome to Puck, and he intended to really work at learning to play the next time Dean wanted to go out. If they went straight to Pete’s after school sometime instead of spending most of three hours in bed, there would be plenty of time for Dean to teach him a few things before the regular crowd started to wander in around six. Puck really _was_ terrible at pool, he knew, but Dean was so good that he figured Dean could help him with that if anyone could.

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

 

 

Kurt was on the couch with his back against the arm, relaxed and comfortable as Quinn stretched out on the rest of the couch with her feet in his lap, letting him gently massage her left ankle. She hadn’t quite sprained it, but she had taken a bad step getting out of the Ranger and it was sore, so Kurt had offered a foot rub, hoping that would help.

Kurt had wanted to help her get out of the truck, of course, and he privately thought she would have avoided hurting herself if she let him, but she had refused, saying she could get down fine on her own. Noah usually lifted her down and she had gotten used to how easy it was with Noah’s help, but she hadn’t realized she _needed_ it until it was too late. After she landed awkwardly and narrowly missed spraining her ankle, she had admitted she hadn’t gotten out of the truck without help in months.

Kurt and Quinn had decided to stay in the living room instead of going to her room so Kurt could hear when Finn pulled up, and they ended up on the couch while Nancy watched some news program on Fox that kept making Kurt wish Finn would hurry up so he wouldn’t have to listen to it anymore. Sarah was already in bed, excited that her mother had agreed she could go shopping with Kurt and the girls in Dayton the next day, so Kurt, Quinn, and Nancy were the only ones in the room. Quinn was mostly asleep, still wearing Noah’s letterman jacket with a pillow propped under her cheek as she leaned sideways against the back of the couch, watching Kurt drowsily with a soft little smile.

“Why are you being so sweet to Quinn?” Nancy asked suddenly, making Kurt look at her in surprise. Nancy looked a little confused and possibly even unhappy, and Kurt wondered what he had done wrong as she added, “I know it’s not because you want to date her.”

Quinn sighed and Kurt glanced at her, seeing the sad look in Quinn’s eyes, which made him reach for Quinn’s hand to give it a squeeze as he looked back at Nancy. “Quinn is my best friend besides Noah, and it’s my fault she hurt herself. I should have brought her home in Carole’s car, but there was no one at home that Noah would trust to drive the Ranger besides my dad or Carole, and I didn’t want to bother them.”

“You’re not _acting_ like she’s just your friend,” Nancy pointed out, still obviously confused. “Men just don’t do something sweet unless they want something.” She paused and then added, “Well, except for Noah, but it’s _his_ fault she’s pregnant.”

“I’ve never really been accused of acting like a man before,” Kurt said quietly.

Nancy blinked and then her eyes widened a bit. “I didn’t mean it like that, Kurt, really.”

“No, it’s okay,” Kurt said quickly, smiling at Nancy. “I’m _not_ like most men, I know that. I am a guy, and I do guy things on occasion—“

“Like fix cars,” Quinn said for him, “and kick all kinds of butt at video games.”

Kurt gave her an amused smile, pleased, and then looked back at Nancy. “Like work on cars, yes, but I’m not macho in the least. I never have been. My dad is fond of reminding me he’s known I was gay since I was three.” His lips twitched. “I asked him for a pair of sensible heels for my birthday.”

Nancy let out a soft little surprised laugh. “Oh my.”

“Exactly,” Kurt agreed, smiling. “I’m sorry if the way I act bothers you, but it’s just how I am.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” Nancy said quickly, looking sheepish and blushing slightly. “It just… confuses me, I guess. My father was never the demonstrative type, and Noah’s father, well…” She trailed off, obviously searching for words.

“Was abysmal as a husband and father,” Kurt supplied for her helpfully. “Not to mention being a waste of oxygen as a human being.”

“Well, yes,” Nancy agreed. “Noah has told you about him, then?”

“Enough to know that if I ever meet the man, I intend to make use of my fantastic high kick,” Kurt agreed, nodding.

“Why don’t you do that when Karofsky and his goons bother you?” Quinn asked suddenly, making Kurt look at her in surprise. “I’ve seen you at Cheerios practice, you could easily kick any of them unconscious, especially in your favorite boots.”

“Once, yes,” Kurt agreed. “But then the next time they would make very sure I didn’t see them coming, and I would pay with my life for daring to fight back,” he pointed out.

“But kicking Joseph doesn’t scare you?” Nancy asked, surprised. “He’s quite a bit bigger than you are.”

Kurt looked at Nancy, a little amused but serious as he replied, “Not really, no. Any man who abuses his wife and children to make himself feel like a man isn’t very likely to fight back against someone that actually hits back, and if he does, I have no doubt that Noah would make him regret it.”

“He told you about the last time he saw his father?” Nancy asked, looking surprised.

Kurt blinked in surprise at the sudden change of subject. “When Sarah was seven?”

Nancy shook her head, glancing towards the hall and then looked back at Kurt. “No,” she said softly, “over the Christmas holidays last year. Joseph showed up here drunk one night while Noah was out on a date.”

“What happened?” Kurt asked quietly, concerned and hoping Sarah really was asleep. He knew that just the mention of her father was enough to frighten her, and that she often had nightmares afterwards, sometimes for days. Noah had managed somehow to keep their father from ever physically hurting Sarah, mostly by putting himself between them and taking his father’s abuse while Sarah ran away and hid in the bushes behind their house, but that didn’t keep Sarah from seeing what her father did to Noah or hearing them yell at each other.

Nancy gave him a wry little smile. “He used his old key and walked in like he owned the place a little before midnight a few days after Christmas, and I was so shocked to see him after so long that I just watched him do it. I remember being very glad that Sarah was staying the night with one of her friends as he walked in here and just stood in front of me and looked at me.” She looked down, swallowing hard. “The look in his eyes was…” She shook her head. “I was scared and he knew it, and I was very sure that he was going to finally make good on one of his many threats to kill me when Noah walked in.”

“What did he do?” Kurt asked softly, suddenly sure that he knew another reason Noah had been so different for the last few months. It made a kind of twisted sense to Kurt that Noah finally getting a chance to fight back against the father who had hurt him as a child would change him on a fundamental level. Noah had always been one that took what he considered to be signs from God very seriously, and Kurt knew that finally getting to pay his father back a little for all the times Joseph had hurt Noah and Nancy was something that Noah would have taken as a very important sign.

Nancy looked up at Kurt. “He took one look at Joseph and ordered him out of the house, and when Joseph refused to go, Noah lost it. He beat up his own father right here in this room while I cowered in a corner and cried like a frightened child, and then he tied him up with an extension cord and made sure I wasn’t hurt before he called the cops.” She took a shaky breath and then added, “The officers who came knew Noah, probably from that illegal fighting ring he thinks I don’t know he’s part of. Joseph was conscious again by then and wanted to press charges against Noah for assault and kidnapping, but instead they ran Joseph’s name through their computers and discovered he had several outstanding warrants, including one for nearly killing a girl in a small town in Illinois just a few days earlier.”

“Oh my god,” Kurt murmured, shocked and worried. “That must have been _horrible_ for you, Mrs Puckerman.”

“Nancy, please,” Nancy said quietly. “And yes, it was … difficult, but Noah changed all the locks the next day, and he made sure not to leave me or Sarah here alone in the house until one of his friends on the force told him Joseph had been convicted of attempted murder, rape, and three counts of aggravated assault against another woman. He’s serving time in a maximum security prison in Illinois and won’t be getting out any time soon.”

Kurt relaxed, relieved. “At least you don’t have to worry about him again.”

Nancy nodded, giving Kurt a slight smile. “We’re safe, like we should have been years ago if I had only done like Noah begged me to when he was a boy and called the police.”

“Why didn’t you?” Quinn asked softly. “I know that always bothered him a lot, that you just _let_ Joe hurt you both and there was nothing he could do to stop it.” She paused and then added, “I think that’s a big part of why he wanted to be in fight club, besides the money. He wanted to be sure he could protect himself, and you and Sarah.”

“I know,” Nancy said simply. “And I did call the police once, when Noah was little. He just doesn’t remember.” She looked down, obviously upset at the memory. “Joseph was arrested, but they only held him for thirty days before he was released. He made very sure I knew better than to do it again.”

“I know what that’s like,” Kurt murmured softly, giving Nancy a sad smile. “I actually reported the worst of the bullies at school once last year, after he knocked me down one day and split my lip. He was given in-school suspension for two days, and then the next day he beat me up and destroyed my cell phone, and he told me if I ever reported him again, he’d make me wish I had never been born.”

Nancy stared at Kurt as she said very quietly, “Please tell me that it wasn’t Noah. I know he got in-school suspension for bullying twice last year.”

Kurt’s eyes widened. “No, of course not!” he said quickly, surprised. “It was _Azimio_ that beat me up.” Nancy didn’t look like she believed him, so Kurt added, “Noah _was_ rather annoying last year, but compared to the things his friends were doing, he wasn’t really even frightening. He harassed me, yes, but I always knew that he wouldn’t _hurt_ me. I can’t say the same for most of the rest of the jocks.”

“How can you date him after he bullied you, though?” Nancy asked, still frowning. “You should hate him.”

“He’s not that person anymore,” Kurt said quietly. “He _was_ one of my least favorite people, despite the fact I was fairly sure he wouldn’t really hurt me, but he’s changed completely in the last six months. Noah has grown up a lot, and he’s working very hard to make up for the things he used to do. Those of us in Glee used to be his favorite targets for slushies and harassment, but now he _protects_ us all, and he’s an excellent friend.” He paused and then added, “And I think that you should know we’re _not_ just dating. I’m in love with Noah, and I’m very sure he feels the same about me. That’s not something that will change.”

Nancy looked at Kurt for a few moments, obviously thinking, but before she said whatever she was thinking about, Kurt heard the familiar sound of the Navigator pulling up near the front door.

“Finn’s here,” Quinn murmured unnecessarily, and Kurt looked at her. She gave him a soft smile as she pulled her feet out of his lap, adding, “You should go, it’s getting late and he’s sure to be in a hurry.”

“I should, yes,” Kurt agreed, getting up and looking back at Nancy. “It’s been good talking to you, Nancy. I hope we can spend time together again soon. I’d really like us to be friends.”

Nancy smiled at him, even though it looked just a bit forced. “I’d like that, Kurt.”

Kurt smiled. “Soon, then. Maybe I can come over one night when you don’t have to work and make dinner for us all or something.”

“Noah would like a night off from cooking, I’m sure,” Nancy agreed.

Someone knocked quietly on the front door then and Kurt moved quickly to answer it, smiling at Finn. “I’m coming, Finn. Just a minute.”

“Okay,” Finn agreed, smiling and looking surprisingly cheerful.

Kurt returned the smile and then moved back over to Quinn to give her a hug. “Do you need anything before I go, sweetie? Help getting to bed, or a blanket or anything?”

“Noah’s fleece blanket would be good,” Quinn agreed as she returned the hug, sheepish. “I’m too comfortable to go to bed just yet.”

Kurt smiled and moved towards the hall. “Is it on his bed where it belongs?”

“Yes, it is,” Quinn agreed with a soft laugh, “unless he kicked it off in the floor. He took it back because I had it and his comforter on my bed, and he was cold.”

Kurt walked quickly down the hall to Noah’s room, opening the door and inhaling happily as he walked in. Noah’s room always smelled like his cologne mixed with the crisp citrus scent of the air freshener Noah liked instead of the vague scent of sweaty socks like Finn’s room always had, or the reek of the medicated powder his dad’s bedroom had always smelled like until Carole moved in. Kurt had been amazed when he walked into Noah’s room for the first time, shocked really that the room was actually pretty clean, but he had soon learned that Noah kept the whole house clean for Nancy, cleaning up at night after Sarah was in bed, and that keeping his room clean was simply habit.

Kurt knew there would be nothing to trip over as he walked into Noah’s room now, so he didn’t bother to turn on the light before he crossed to the unmade bed to get the soft fleecy blanket that was tangled with Noah’s sheets. He untangled them and wadded the blanket up into a bundle against his chest, and then he hurried back towards the living room as he ducked to inhale Noah’s scent from the blanket and wondered idly just what the cologne Noah wore was. He still hadn’t remembered to ask, but he loved it and he knew he wasn’t the only one, not the way Quinn was constantly stealing Noah’s favorite blanket or his clothes, or pretty much anything that smelled like him.

Finn had moved into the living room and closed the front door, and was looking a little embarrassed as he told Nancy, “No ma’am, it wasn’t anything you did. Me and Puck just stopped talking after the whole baby thing happened.”

Nancy looked surprised and then embarrassed, blushing. “Oh, that’s right. I’m so sorry, Finn. I had forgotten you used to date Quinn.”

“It’s okay, Aunt Nancy, I’m over it,” Finn said with a little bit of a shrug, but from the way he wasn’t meeting Nancy’s eyes, Kurt could easily tell he was lying. He noticed Kurt coming out of the hall and looked relieved. “You ready to go, Kurt?”

“Almost, yes,” Kurt agreed. He carried the blanket to Quinn, helping to spread it out over her legs and then smiled at her. “Good night, sweetheart. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything before Noah gets home. I don’t mind bringing you a snack if a craving hits. I’m sure to be up most of the night anyway.”

“I’ll be fine,” Quinn said quickly, blushing. “You just go enjoy yourself with Mercedes and Tina.”

“I will,” Kurt agreed, bending to kiss her cheek lightly and then giving Nancy a quick smile. “Good night, ma’am.”

“Good night,” Nancy replied, looking surprised. “Drive safely.”

“Finn will, I’ll make certain of that,” Kurt agreed, moving towards the front door. “Am I picking you up on the way to Dayton in the morning, Quinn, or is Noah bringing you over for breakfast? I’m not sure you if were listening when Mercedes and Tina decided we should leave right after we eat.”

“That depends,” Quinn replied, laughing softly. “What are you making?”

Kurt stopped by Finn at the door to look back at her, amused. “Quiche, of course. As if Mercedes would let me fix anything else.”

“I’ll ride with Noah when he does the paper route,” Quinn said quickly, beaming. “He’ll stop to say good morning anyway, I know.”

“He most certainly will,” Kurt agreed, pleased. “He’s having breakfast with us before he leaves to go get Nana Connie so they can go to Temple.”

“You make kosher food?” Nancy asked suddenly, surprised. “And Noah’s going to Temple tomorrow?”

“I’ll make anything Noah wants for breakfast, yes ma’am,” Kurt said without hesitation, smiling at Nancy. “It’s not that difficult to cook a kosher meal for him. He loves waffles with fruit.” He paused and then added, “And as for Temple, all I know is that Nana Connie asked him to go with her.”

Nancy still looked surprised as she looked questioningly at Quinn and murmured, “She didn’t mention it to me. Do you know anything about it?”

“Not really,” Quinn said, giving Nancy a slightly sheepish smile.

“Hmm,” Nancy murmured, looking thoughtful.

Quinn watched Nancy a moment longer and then turned her attention back towards Kurt and Finn. “Good night, you two. I’ll see you both at breakfast.”

“Not me you won’t,” Finn said, turning away and opening the front door before he paused, not looking back as he added, “Good night, Aunt Nancy.”

“Good night, Finn,” Nancy replied automatically, watching Finn leave with a surprised expression.

Kurt sighed and waited until Finn was out of earshot, then gave Quinn a sad little smile. “He’ll come around eventually, sweetie.”

“So you say,” Quinn said, settling a little more comfortably and laying her head back on her pillow to go back to watching television. “I don’t think I believe you anymore, though.”

“Give him time,” Kurt said quietly. “Good night.” He didn’t wait for a reply, giving Nancy a smile and then turning to walk out to the Navigator.

Finn started the Navigator again just as Kurt opened his door, and as soon as Kurt was settled in the passenger seat with the door closed, Finn started backing out of Noah’s driveway. “We’re going home, right?” Finn asked, not looking at Kurt as he twisted around to watch behind the truck.

“No, we need to go by the store,” Kurt said quietly, relaxing in his seat. “If you don’t mind, that is. I’d rather not make another trip so late, but I can if you don’t want to go.”

“No, I don’t mind,” Finn said quickly, turning to face forward again as he put the truck in drive. “Wal-Mart, right? It’s the only place still open this late, I think.”

Kurt glanced at the clock in the dash, which said 10:19, then nodded. “It is.”

“Okay,” Finn said, driving slowly as he looked out past Kurt towards his old house, watching the darkened windows as they passed it and then looking forward again as he sped up.

“Do you still miss it?” Kurt asked softly, watching Finn’s face in the light from the instrument panel.

Finn shrugged, not looking at Kurt. “Sometimes. It was home.”

“If it had been bigger—“ Kurt began carefully, but Finn cut him off.

“You and Burt would have moved in with us, I know,” Finn said quickly, still not looking at Kurt. “It’s fine, just drop it, okay?”

Kurt sighed, looking out his own window without another word as he wondered if he and Finn would ever get back to the point where they talked to each other. Finn used to talk to him all the time, telling Kurt all of his problems because no one else would really listen to him, but that had all ended when Kurt had pushed his crush on Finn a little too far and sang a love song to him in Glee. His crush had thankfully faded away in the face of Finn’s very homophobic reaction, but Kurt still cared about him and sometimes he wished that they could be more like true brothers instead of just people who lived in the same house. Finn had stopped trusting him, stopped even talking to him any more than was necessary, and Kurt missed their friendship much more than he liked to dwell on.

Kurt watched the darkened scenery pass by his window, part of him expecting Finn to realize he had been rude and apologize, but it didn’t happen and the rest of the drive to Wal-Mart passed in silence. Finn had no problem finding a parking place near the door, looking over at Kurt finally as he shut off the Navigator’s engine. “I’ll just wait for you here. I don’t really want to go in.”

Kurt hesitated, glancing around the nearly deserted parking lot before he sighed and settled back into his seat, looking down at his hands. Just because hardly anyone was there didn’t make it safe, he knew. He had run into homophobic reactions even on late-night trips to the store, and the thought of being alone and having to face someone like Karofsky was enough to convince him not to risk it even if he hadn’t promised Noah he wouldn’t go anywhere alone. “We can just go home, then.”

“You _said_ you needed to go to the store,” Finn said, and when Kurt looked at him he saw Finn looked annoyed and confused. “What’s the deal?”

Kurt watched Finn for a moment and then looked away, staring at the store’s entrance like it was fascinating as he admitted, “Noah made me promise not to go anywhere alone, and I’m not going to break my word. Since you don’t want to go in with me, I’ll just go home and get ‘Cedes and Tina. They won’t mind coming shopping with me.”

“Or you could just _ask me_ to go in,” Finn pointed out, and a glance at him made Kurt realize he wasn’t just unhappy, but hurt as well. “I know you don’t want to be around me, but it’s not like you’ll have to talk to me while I follow you around in _Wal-Mart_. I can play bodyguard and let you shop in peace if you hate talking to me that much.”

“ _You_ have been avoiding _me_ , Finn,” Kurt pointed out, frowning slightly. “I have _never_ minded talking to you. _You’re_ the one who has made it plain you don’t want to hear what I have to say so often I’ve learned not to even try because when I forget and do, you tell me to drop it or to leave you alone.”

Finn flushed slightly, looking away. “I didn’t want to talk about the _house_ , I didn’t mean you couldn’t talk to me _at all_.”

“You made no effort to speak to me after that, Finn,” Kurt pointed out quietly. “I won’t tolerate you being rude to Noah because he doesn’t deserve it, but I’m not going to try to forceyou to be nice to _me_. I know that I made you feel … _molested_ when I had that unfortunate crush on you, so I try very hard not to ask you for anything more than you want to offer.”

Finn looked at Kurt again, frowning. “You didn’t make me feel like that, just, I don’t know. Kind of freaked out.”

“I figured that out, thank you,” Kurt said, looking away again. “It seems to be pretty much the same thing from my point of view.”

Finn was quiet a minute and then asked quietly, “Are we going in or not?”

“That would be up to you,” Kurt said, looking back at Finn.

“Then let’s go,” Finn said, still looking unhappy.

Kurt sighed. “You don’t _have_ to, Finn. If you’re that unhappy about it—“

“I’m unhappy because my little brother doesn’t trust me,” Finn said quickly, cutting Kurt off. “It has _nothing to_ _do_ with going in the stupid _store_.”

“I trust you,” Kurt said quietly, letting the little brother thing stand because he knew his dad had started Finn on that idea, despite the fact Kurt was more than six months older. “I just _know_ you, too, so I don’t expect too much from you.”

“Thanks,” Finn said quietly, looking hurt. “I never knew you have such a low opinion of me.”

Kurt took off his seatbelt and turned sideways in his seat to face Finn, resting his knee on the console as he tucked his foot under himself in the seat. “I don’t have a low opinion of you, Finn. You’re someone that I feel safe with, and one of the few men that _Noah_ trusts to protect me when he’s not around, which I think says a lot about how much we _both_ trust you.”

“You feel safe with me?” Finn asked, looking a little surprised. “Even with the stupid things I say that upset you all the time?”

“Yes, I do,” Kurt said, nodding. “I know you don’t mean to when you say something that hurts me, so I try not to let it bother me. Sometimes I don’t succeed, and Noah’s not nearly so good at ignoring it as I am, but I _do_ try to cut you some slack, and so does he.”

Finn just looked at Kurt for a few minutes and then suddenly blurted, “I miss talking to you. And to him, but mostly you. You two were my best friends, but he and I didn’t talk about the stuff I could talk to you about.”

Kurt smiled sadly at hearing Finn had considered him one of his best friends. Six months ago he would have been sure that meant Finn could learn to want more from him, but he had thankfully grown up a lot since then and he knew better. Finn was very much a straight boy, and no amount of wishing was ever going to change that, not that Kurt _wanted_ to change it anymore. “I miss you too, Finn. You were the only boy that actually _talked_ to me for a long time, besides Artie, and he hardly counts because he’ll happily talk to even Azimio if Azimio pretends to be nice for a few minutes. Artie’s a worse gossip than any of the girls and all he ever wants to talk about besides Tina is who’s sleeping with who, unless of course he’s been playing Halo recently, or plans to soon, then it’s all Halo, all the time.”

“He is kinda nuts over Halo,” Finn agreed. “I thought you and Puck talk, though?”

“We do _now_ , yes,” Kurt agreed, “but that’s not the same thing, Finn. Noah is the man I’m in love with, not just a friend. Even when I had a crush on you, you were my _friend_ first and foremost.” He blushed, admitting, “You were a friend I kind of wanted to kiss me because no other boy had ever bothered to be _sweet_ to me before you did, but I still valued our friendship long before I confused it for something more.”

Finn blinked, his eyes widening as he asked softly, “That’s what it was all about, isn’t it? You were so lonely that you would have acted like that with any guy who was nice to you.”

Kurt looked down as he felt his face heating up even more. “I… didn’t have a lot of self-esteem, Finn.” He shrugged one shoulder, uncomfortable as he admitted, “That’s how I ended up dating Jesse. I figured any boy who wanted me had to be better than being so alone. I was wrong, of course, but I had to find that out the hard way.”

“Did you and Jesse… do things?”

“No, I never let him do more than kiss me,” Kurt said, still not looking at Finn. “I wanted to at first, but then he felt me up the first time we kissed for more than a few moments, and it felt so wrong to have him touching me that I wouldn’t let things get that far again. I decided that no matter how lonely I was, I would wait for someone that loved me instead of giving myself to a boy like Jesse.”

“It doesn’t bother you when Puck touches you,” Finn pointed out.

Kurt looked up, meeting Finn’s gaze with a soft little smile. “Noah is the man I love, Finn, and I know he loves me too, so it’s a completely different situation. It feels _right_ to be with him, no matter what we do.”

“Why do you _do_ that?” Finn asked, looking curious and a little confused. “Call Puck a man and Jesse a boy, I mean. Jesse’s older.”

“Age has nothing to do with being a man,” Kurt said, amused. “Jesse is very much a boy, childish and selfish and led around completely by his dick and his ego. Noah is not.”

“Puck is led around by the balls all the time,” Finn said with a surprised little laugh. “You’ve been doing it all week!”

“I don’t mean like that,” Kurt said, trying not to laugh. “Jesse thinks of _nothing_ but sex and performing, though not necessarily in that order.”

“Puck is the same way,” Finn pointed out. “He has more sex in a week than most guys our age do in a _year_.”

“He used to, yes,” Kurt agreed, “and he will again soon, I am very sure, but sex doesn’t rule his life anymore, Finn, if it ever really did. He has more important things to worry about, like Beth and Quinn, and his mother and sister, and even me. Sex is much lower on his list of priorities than it was when you stopped talking to him.”

“If you know he’s going to go back to the whole sex shark thing, how can you trust him?” Finn asked, confused.

“He’ll be having sex _with_ _me_ , Finn,” Kurt pointed out, amused. “I won’t mind him indulging as often as he can stand because it will mean _I_ get laid that often, and contrary to popular belief, I _am_ a guy. I intend to enjoy his beautiful body as often as humanly possible.”

Finn made a face, looking disgusted. “Eww, I don’t want to know about that! You’re my little _brother_!”

Kurt laughed. “Then don’t ask about Noah’s sex life.”

“I won’t anymore.” Finn still looked kind of disgusted, but he was obviously confused and a little curious too as he asked, “You really believe he’ll only have sex with you?”

“Yes, Finn, I do,” Kurt agreed, nodding. “He stopped sleeping around quite some time ago. He wouldn’t have done that unless he truly wanted to be with only me.”

“Did you tell him he had to before you’d date him or something?” Finn asked.

“I didn’t have to,” Kurt said quietly, smiling. “He knows me well enough to know it would make me happy to know he’s really mine. I don’t share well, not when I truly care about someone, as I am sure you remember from when you and Dad were getting acquainted.”

“You talk about him like most guys talk about their girlfriends,” Finn pointed out suddenly, looking kind of surprised. “I hadn’t really noticed that until now.”

“Are you asking which of us is the top, Finn?” Kurt asked, amused. “I’ll tell you if you just _have_ to know.”

Finn’s eyes widened. “No! Forget I said it!” He paused, and then frowned slightly. “But how do you know? I thought you promised Burt you’d stay a virgin for another week, at least.”

“Not quite a week anymore, but yes, I did,” Kurt agreed, amused. “Or rather Noah did, and I agreed, but that doesn’t mean we don’t do _anything_ , we just aren’t having sex yet. Noah promised Dad we wouldn’t, so we’re waiting for that.” He smirked slightly, thinking about the tentative plans he had in mind and hoping that sometime soon he could find time to discuss with Noah the idea of going to a hotel after Regionals. It would solve quite a few problems with one simple move, and he was very sure Quinn wouldn’t feel up to a four hour ride home right after performing. “But just because we haven’t done it yet doesn’t mean that I don’t already know how it will go when we do.”

“I don’t want to know,” Finn said quickly.

Kurt laughed softly and was about to say something else when his cell phone suddenly started to play a very familiar song.

“ _Some will call on destiny, but I just call on faith, that the world won't stop, and actions speak louder. Listen to your heart, to what your heart might say. Everything you got, you got the hard way_.”

Kurt shifted in the seat to pull his phone out of his back pocket, pushing the button to accept the call as he smiled and put the phone to his ear. “Hello, Carole! What did you need?”

“Hey sweetie,” Carole replied, sounding amused and relaxed. “Burt was just sitting here worrying about you boys, so I thought I’d call to check on you.”

“I’m not worrying,” Burt said quickly somewhere near Carole’s phone, just loud enough that Kurt could hear him. “I just wondered what’s takin’ them so long. They could have been to _Dayton_ and back by now.”

“I’m sure you heard that,” Carole said, amused.

Kurt laughed, looking at the clock on the dash and surprised to see it was nearly eleven. “Finn and I had to stop by Wal-Mart to get a few things, and I got distracted. We should be home soon.”

Carole laughed. “You and _shopping_ ,” she teased, amused.

Burt snorted and said a little louder than before, “Stop checking for sales and get what you were after, Kurt. You’re going shopping _tomorrow_!”

Carole giggled at Burt as Kurt laughed and said, “We won’t be much longer, I promise.”

“Don’t forget the butter,” Carole said, still sounding amused. “I just used the last of it making Burt a grilled ham and cheese sandwich for dessert.”

“I won’t,” Kurt agreed, amused. “See you soon.”

“See you then, sweetie,” Carole said cheerfully, and then she hung up.

Kurt tapped the lock on his phone so he couldn’t butt-dial and then stuck it back into his pocket, looking at Finn with an amused smile. “We should get moving.” He didn’t wait for an answer before he leaned quickly towards Finn.

Finn shrank away from him, surprised and instantly upset as he blurted, “Kurt! What the hell?!”

Kurt had to lean down so his head was almost on Finn’s knee to reach under the driver’s seat as he looked up at Finn, rolling his eyes at him as he felt around a moment for the credit card he kept hidden there. He straightened again as soon as he found the card, showing it to Finn as he said patiently, “Relax, Finn, I just needed my extra credit card. I wasn’t going to _molest_ you.” He turned away to get out without waiting for an answer, frowning as he opened his door and unhappy that Finn still reacted to him getting close by panicking. “I left my wallet at home, and I have to pay for groceries somehow.”

“Oh,” Finn said quietly.

“Don’t forget the keys,” Kurt said, stepping out of the car and then tucking the credit card into his back pocket with his cell as he closed his door.

Finn got out, closing his door and then thumbing the button to lock the doors and turn on the alarm system before he walked around the back of the Navigator to start towards the entrance with Kurt. “I’m sorry,” he said after a moment, offering Kurt the keys. “I just didn’t expect you to like, _dive_ for my _lap_. I was kind of surprised.”

Kurt blushed as he finally realized how it had looked to Finn. “I should have warned you,” he admitted, taking the keys to tuck them into his front pocket. “I’m not used to letting anyone but Quinn or Noah drive, and neither of them panics when I reach for the extra credit card. They both know where it is in case they need it, and even if they didn’t they’re not afraid of me getting close to them.”

“I’m sorry,” Finn repeated, and then paused slightly before he asked, “You let them use your credit card?”

“They never have, but yes,” Kurt said quietly as they walked into the building, smiling at the elderly lady who was sitting near the door to greet them. “If they need anything and haven’t got the money for it, they both know I want them to use my card. They haven’t got credit cards of their own they can use in an emergency, and I don’t like for Noah to be forced into doing things he’d rather avoid just so he can take care of his family.”

“Good evening, boys,” the little old lady said, smiling at Kurt and Finn. “Enjoy your shopping.”

“Thank you, we will,” Kurt agreed with a smile, getting a cart and then starting towards the back of the store.

Finn walked along next to Kurt in silence for a few moments and then asked suddenly, “What kinds of stuff?” Kurt looked at Finn in surprise and Finn added, “What’s Puck been forced to do, I mean?”

“Making pot cupcakes and selling them to the entire student body, for one thing,” Kurt said, amused. “Not to mention the times he’s felt like he had to steal, or the whole pool boy thing.”

Finn snorted. “He _likes_ sleeping with the cougars. Like, a _lot_. He told me all about it more than once, and I can tell when he lies to me.”

“He used to love it,” Kurt agreed, debating for a moment before he said quietly, “but he outgrew it, I think. It’s not something he enjoys anymore, I know that for a fact, and I won’t have him forced to do it again, not when I can stop it. He’s not very pleased with the idea of me giving him money, but he promised to let me help from now on, if he needs it.”

Finn looked skeptical. “He told you he didn’t like sex with women?”

“He likes women just fine,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes. “Having sex with girls for fun and what he used to do with cougars is not necessarily the same thing, though, Finn.” Finn still looked skeptical, and Kurt sighed as he realized that Finn wasn’t going to believe him unless he knew what had ruined the fun of cougars for Noah. “Promise me you won’t tell him that I told you, and I’ll explain, if you want to know.”

Finn was quiet a moment, thinking, then nodded. “I promise. Me and him don’t talk about that kind of stuff anyway.” He paused, looking a little unhappy as he admitted, “Or much at all, anymore.”

Kurt turned onto the dairy aisle, glad the store was practically deserted as he looked at Finn and said very quietly, “He stopped enjoying it because one of his regulars did something a few weeks ago that made him realize exactly what her opinion of him was. He…” Kurt sighed, turning away from Finn as he stopped by the butter display to get a large tub of the special heart-friendly butter facsimile they all used so Burt would eat it. He turned back towards Finn as he put the container in the cart and said softly, “She made him feel like a cheap whore, Finn. He had convinced himself he was just being paid to have a little fun, but she burst his bubble and it really upset him. He doesn’t want to feel like that ever again, so he stopped sleeping with cougars.”

Finn frowned, looking surprised and annoyed. “What did she do? And who was it?”

“I don’t know who, exactly,” Kurt sad quietly. “I just know that she offered him extra money to let her husband … participate, and when he refused she said some things that really bothered him. It upset him badly enough he hasn’t touched _any_ woman since, so I can’t help but think it must have been pretty traumatic for him.”

Finn scowled, looking away as he growled, “Stupid bitch.”

“Mm, yes, I’m inclined to agree,” Kurt sad, surprised that Finn was taking it so personally, but pleased by the proof that Finn still cared deeply about Noah. He started the cart forward again towards the display of eggs at the far end of the aisle, not looking at Finn as he added, “Which is likely why he didn’t tell me more. I can be a bit vindictive when people are cruel to someone I love.”

“I wish I knew who it was so I could egg her car or something,” Finn said, walking along next to Kurt. “It’s not like Puck was out or anything then, so there was no excuse for her to ask him for anything like that.”

“It was pretty bad, from what he said,” Kurt said quietly as he stopped by the eggs, trying hard not to let how he felt on the subject show as he started checking the dozen-count cartons of free-range eggs for cracked eggs. “She evidently thought that if he was selling his dick so cheaply, then for a little more money he would be willing to sell everything else.”

“That’s just really fuckin’ _wrong_ ,” Finn said, and a glance at him let Kurt see that he was still scowling and looking as angry as Finn ever got. “It’s not like it was _obvious_ he swings both ways. I mean, he’s been my best friend _all my life_ and I didn’t know, so there’s no way that stupid _bitch_ knew. He never really talked to any of them. That’s why he _liked_ them so fucking much, ‘cause he didn’t have to pretend to be interested in whatever stupid shit they thought was important like he did with girls at school.”

Kurt put an intact carton of eggs in the buggy and then looked at Finn, surprised and suddenly a little amused as he murmured, “I’ve heard you curse before, but I think that’s the first time I ever heard you say the f-word.”

Finn blinked and then blushed, looking a little sheepish. “Sorry. I didn’t think you’d care.”

“I don’t,” Kurt said with a laugh. “I say fuck myself sometimes, Finn.” His lips twitched at the shocked look on Finn’s face and he added, “Likely more often than you do, going by your expression.”

“I say it,” Finn protested with a surprised laugh. “Just not around girls.” Kurt snorted in amusement at that and Finn said quickly, “Not that you’re a girl, or anything, just, you’re always _around_ girls. If it’s not Quinn or Mercedes, it’s Mom, and I’m _so_ not dropping the f-bomb around Mom. She’d kill me dead.”

Kurt smirked as he moved further down to get a large carton of egg-replacer for his dad’s breakfast scrambles, putting it in the buggy before he turned it towards the soda aisle. “I’m going to pretend I believe that answer just because I’m nice that way, even though I know better.”

“It’s true,” Finn grumbled, and when Kurt glanced at him he saw he was pouting.

Kurt giggled softly. “It’s not, sweetie, and we both know it. Don’t get me wrong, because it’s a welcome change after the last few weeks, I promise, but you act like I’m a girl _all the time_.”

Finn stared at Kurt, his eyes a little wide as he blurted, “Did you just call me _sweetie_?”

“Yes. You are being rather adorably sweet at the moment,” Kurt said, amused even though it had kind of slipped out, much the way it had the first time he called Mike or Dean ‘sweetheart’. “Don’t panic, I’m not going to start chasing you again. I have a boyfriend, and I am very happy with him.” Finn didn’t look very reassured, so Kurt added, “I call _Quinn_ sweetie all the time, and I’m definitely not romantically interested in her.”

Finn seemed a little mollified by that. “Okay, I guess.” He paused and then added, “It’s a lot better than you calling me a big dumb ox.”

Kurt let it drop, changing the subject as he stopped by the Pepsi display and said, “Find something you’ll want to drink this weekend, Finn. We’re out of everything but Dr Pepper and Coke, and I know you don’t like either one.”

They would have been out of those too, Kurt was sure, but Noah and Sam were the only ones who drank the Dr Pepper with any regularity, and Carole was the only one who liked the Coke. Kurt sometimes drank a Dr Pepper, and he cooked with it occasionally, but there was a whole case in the pantry that he hadn’t opened, so he knew that it would last a while. The last case had lasted for weeks because Noah seldom drank more than one a day, and he often opted for tea or water out of habit because he was used to saving the drinks for times he really needed the sugar and caffeine.

“Burt likes A&W, doesn’t he?” Finn asked, moving across the aisle towards the root beer.

“He’ll drink any root beer, but yes, A&W is Dad’s favorite,” Kurt agreed, setting a case of Pepsi and one of Diet Pepsi in the cart before he moved further down towards the Seven Up. It was Quinn’s favorite, though she would drink Sprite or Dr Pepper when they were out of it.

“Cool,” Finn said, grabbing two cases of A&W to carry it back to the cart and then moving to get a six-pack of bottled Sunkist.

Kurt set a case of Seven Up for Quinn and one of the Diet Cherry Seven Up for himself in the cart as he watched Finn return with the Sunkist, surprised and amused. “If you want Sunkist, why not get a case?”

“It’s not for me,” Finn said with a shrug, putting it in the cart. “It’s for Rachel, she likes Sunkist but she won’t drink much of it, she says it’s bad for her skin.”

Kurt smiled, a little surprised that Finn was being so thoughtful. “Is there anything else you’d like to get her?”

Finn looked surprised, but he seemed to think about it a minute before he said hesitantly, “Maybe some of that fake meat she gets? So she can eat with us sometime and not have to just eat a salad?”

“Great idea,” Kurt said quickly, smiling. “I didn’t know she liked the meat replacement products that are available here. I’ve never seen her eat them.”

“She does at home all the time,” Finn said quickly, grinning. “She even made me a bacon cheeseburger with it last week. It’s pretty good stuff, even though the fake bacon didn’t really taste like bacon.”

“Do you know what brand she gets?” Kurt asked, starting the buggy moving again. “The next thing I needed is in the freezer section anyway.”

“Morning something or other. Morning Ranch, maybe?” Finn said hesitantly.

“Morningstar Farms,” Kurt corrected. “I’ve bought their sausages for Dad a few times.” He glanced at Finn, amused. “He doesn’t know that, though, so don’t tell him.”

Finn grinned. “I won’t. Bros have to stick together.”

Kurt grinned back at Finn as he turned towards the front of the store again, pleased. “Yes, we most certainly do.” He paused at the end of the chip aisle a moment later, asking, “Do you have any tortilla chips left?”

Finn liked to snack on tortilla chips and salsa, and went through a bag of chips every day sometimes. Kurt had seen a large unopened jar of the salsa Finn liked in the pantry when he checked to see what else they absolutely had to have before Carole did the weekly shopping on Wednesday, but he hadn’t seen any of Finn’s chips.

Finn shook his head, already turning away to walk quickly down the aisle. “Nope, and Mom’s out of Cheetos, too.”

“Grab some Doritos, too,” Kurt called, smiling. “They’re—“

“Puck’s favorite,” Finn finished for him. “I know.”

Kurt laughed softly and watched Finn gather three big bags of chips, then Finn stopped and walked back to grab a small bag of baked Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles before he hurried back to the cart. “Who are those for?” Kurt asked as he started the buggy moving again, curious. They usually got baked chips for Burt, and Kurt ate the baked kind if he ate chips, but he knew there was a big bag of baked Lays in the pantry at home that hadn’t even been opened yet.

Finn looked down, shrugging one shoulder as he walked along by the buggy. “They’re Quinn’s favorite, and I figured the baked kind are better for the baby.”

“Thank you, Finn,” Kurt said softly, surprised and touched. “I know it’s hard for you, having her around so much.”

“It’s not really so bad anymore,” Finn said slowly. “I mean, I don’t want to hang out with her or anything because it hurts to see her … like she is, but Puck finally told me what really happened. I kind of thought they cheated on me on purpose together, but it wasn’t like that.”

“Neither of them would have ever hurt you on purpose, Finn,” Kurt said gently. “They both love you very much.”

Finn stopped and looked at Kurt, wide-eyed. “ _Puck_ loves me?”

“You’ve been his best friend all his _life_ , Finn,” Kurt pointed out, stopping the buggy to give Finn a wry little smile. “You’re his brother as far as he’s concerned. Of _course_ he loves you. He’d do anything for you.”

“Wow,” Finn murmured, still looking kind of surprised. “When you put it like that, I guess I kind of love him too. I mean, he _is_ the closest thing I ever had to a brother.” He smiled suddenly at Kurt. “Until now, anyway.”

Kurt returned the smile as he started the cart moving again. “I’m glad you still care so much about Noah. He’s going to be around a lot, and I know he’ll be much happier if you two can make peace.”

“It’s hard, but I’m trying,” Finn said quietly. He lifted one hand to run it through his hair, looking kind of sheepish as he added, “It’s been easier than I thought it would be.” He paused and then added, “It’s kind of nice, talking to him again. I missed him.”

“He missed you too,” Kurt said. “He didn’t really have any close friends besides you and Quinn, so he’s had a rough time of it this year.”

“He and Azimio used to be tight,” Finn pointed out. “George, too.”

“Yes, but only until he joined Glee,” Kurt agreed. “Now they don’t talk to him at all unless they’re fighting.”

Finn looked away and they walked in silence a minute or two before he finally said quietly, “Yeah, I guess he gave up even more than I did, joining Glee.”

“He did,” Kurt agreed, “but if you asked him, he would say he got more, too.”

Finn looked at Kurt in surprise again. “What do you mean?”

Kurt smiled at Finn. “He and I never would have said a civil word to each other if he hadn’t joined Glee, and he would have missed out on something that’s become very important to him.”

“Beth?” Finn asked, looking curious.

“He probably wouldn’t have ever been able to convince Quinn to give him a chance without the help of me and the girls,” Kurt said, amused, “but that’s not what I meant. I was talking about Glee itself. He _loves_ to play and sing with our friends, Finn. It’s just about the only part of being at school that makes him happy, except possibly athletics.” He smirked. “And lunch, though not for any reason related to school.”

“I heard what you two do at lunch,” Finn said quickly, “so don’t tell me any more.”

Kurt laughed, blushing a bit. “We didn’t! People just sort of jumped to conclusions.”

“I sit behind you in Spanish class, Kurt,” Finn pointed out. “I didn’t fuss at you like Mercedes did, but I _saw_ _you_ afterwards.”

Kurt blushed even redder, not looking towards Finn at all as he turned onto the aisle with the ice cream and frozen breakfast foods. “We didn’t have _sex_ , no matter what it looked like. I told you already that we do other things.”

“Don’t you mean _you_ do other things?” Finn asked, sounding a little unhappy and concerned. “He’s not, like, pushing you into … doing stuff for him, is he? I know he’s got kind of a one-track mind.”

Kurt stopped by the frozen pie shells, looking at Finn even though he was blushing hotly. “No, Finn, he doesn’t ask me to do _anything_ I don’t offer.” Or beg and plead to do, more accurately, but Kurt wasn’t going to tell Finn that. There was a line between honesty and over sharing, and he had skirted it closely enough already in his efforts to get Finn to relax and maybe understand him a little better. “Noah loves me and he’s taking good care of me, I promise.” He smiled slightly. “Better than I would like, sometimes. He’s stopped me more than once from doing something he was worried I might regret later.”

“I thought he was joking about that,” Finn sad quietly, looking surprised. “I never thought you were the kind of person that loses control.”

“I don’t, unless I’m with Noah,” Kurt admitted, moving to get two packages of pie shells out of the freezer. “I’ve never felt like I do with him. I love him so much it scares me sometimes, and I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. When he kisses me, I forget all the reasons we should take things slow and I want to do _everything_.”

“I know what that’s like,” Finn said quietly, making Kurt look at him in surprise. Finn looked surprised too but he was smiling a little as he added, “I feel like that when I’m with Rachel. Always have, ever since that first time I kissed her.” He flushed suddenly. “Which was _before_ I knew Beth isn’t mine. I had started feeling like it was over between me and Quinn before she ever told me she was pregnant, but I tried really hard to be there for her anyway.” He blushed more. “Even though I kind of knew by then that it was Rachel I really wanted to be with.”

Kurt looked at Finn for a moment and then teased, “Did you ever think we’d be standing in Wal-Mart discussing the people we love?”

Finn laughed. “Never in a _million_ years.”

Kurt laughed too and turned away, moving to the section with frozen fruit as he changed the subject, asking, “If I make a fruit pie, what kind do you think everyone would like?”

“Apple,” Finn sad quickly, and when Kurt looked at him he saw Finn was grinning widely. “That’s Mom’s favorite, and mine too.”

“Perfect,” Kurt said quickly, beaming as he moved back to the buggy and started it down the aisle again. “Dad loves apple pie, and I’m sure Noah will enjoy it too.”

“Puck always liked it when Mom made apple pies,” Finn agreed, grinning as he walked with Kurt and the buggy. “Especially with vanilla ice cream. That’s about the only way I ever saw him eating ice cream, really.”

Kurt smirked and stopped the buggy, leaving it to walk quickly back towards the ice cream as he said, “Thank you.” He went straight to the section with his favorite ice cream, getting a half gallon of the organic vanilla and then pausing before he grabbed a second one to carry both back to the buggy. Finn was watching him, grinning widely, and Kurt returned the grin as he said, “There’s sure to be a lot of us around the house this weekend, and we used the last of what we had on the cobbler tonight. I want some too, so we need two tubs.”

Finn laughed. “I wasn’t about to complain.”

Kurt put the ice cream in the buggy and then turned it and started back the other way towards the produce section, trying to act like he hadn’t just seen Azimio stop at the other end of the aisle. “All we need now is bread and sixteen or so Granny Smith apples. I’ve got everything else I need for a couple of pies at home.”

“I can get the apples while you grab the bread,” Finn offered.

Kurt thought about it a moment, considering how close the produce section was to the bakery, and then he looked at Finn and nodded. “Alright.”

“I can stay with you if you want,” Finn said quickly, giving Kurt a concerned look. “I just thought with how empty the place is tonight it’d be okay. I mean, if you yell, I’ll be able to get to you quick.”

Kurt smiled at Finn, pleased and feeling warm at the proof Finn really did care about him no matter how many stupid things he might say. “I’ll be fine.” He turned the buggy out of the aisle and moved towards the nearby bakery, adding, “Grab some green onions, too. I’m not sure we have any for the quiche tomorrow.”

Finn grinned. “Got it.” He hurried off towards the produce as Kurt went to the bread section to get a couple of loaves of the multigrain bread his dad liked.

Kurt had just put two loaves in the buggy and turned around to start it moving again when he stopped, his eyes widening as he tried not to panic. Azimio was walking slowly towards him, looking serious, and Kurt couldn’t keep himself from blurting out, “Finn’s just over by the fruit. He’ll hear if I yell.”

“Settle down, Hummel,” Azimio said quietly, stopping with the buggy still between them and holding his hands up much as he had the other day when Noah told him to get out of his sight. “I saw how you turned and ran when you saw me, and I just wanted to say you don’t have to do that. Me and Puck, we had a little talk, and I’m not down with the shit Dave’s been pulling with you. Pushing you around a little’s one thing, but he went way too far.”

Kurt swallowed hard and then asked quietly, “What are you trying to say, Azimio?”

Azimio looked at Kurt for a moment and then said abruptly, “Puck used to be my bro, and he says you belong to him now. That right?” Kurt nodded, not sure what to say, but he didn’t have to say anything because Azimio went on immediately. “Well, I’m not sayin’ I won’t knock you around a little if you get in my face, but otherwise we’re cool. Okay?”

“Okay,” Kurt agreed, trying to hide his relief. “I’ll stay out of your way.”

“Then you ain’t got nothin’ to worry about from me,” Azimio said with a sudden smile that made Kurt stare at him in surprise. He couldn’t remember ever seeing Azimio smile unless he had just _hurt_ someone, so it was a little surreal to see him looking almost friendly. “You see me around town or somethin’, you don’t gotta panic and rabbit. Me and Puck ain’t bros no more, but I still got mad respect for the dude, and I’m not gonna give his Cheerio any trouble unless you piss me off. You got my word on that.”

“Thank you,” Kurt said quietly, giving Azimio a hesitant little smile as he realized Azimio hadn’t actually bothered him since Noah made sure the whole school knew they were together.

Kurt felt a bit stupid as he finally figured out that that was probably why Noah had been all for the idea of being _very_ public about their relationship. Messing with Noah’s friends would annoy him, yes, but daring to torment someone Noah considered to be his personal property would lead to dangerous places very quickly, and Kurt was certain that everyone else in town knew it just as well as he did. Noah’s reputation had extended far beyond the high school ever since he joined the fight club that was held in the basement of Pete’s. No one was supposed to know about it, so of course it was common knowledge, along with the fact half the cops in town were part of it.

Azimio nodded and turned away without another word to walk quickly towards the back of the store as Kurt heard someone almost running behind him. He turned his head quickly to look, relieved to see Finn hurrying towards him with two over-full bags of apples and another of green onions even though Finn looked upset.

“Are you okay?” Finn asked quickly, looking towards Azimio’s retreating form and then back at Kurt with obvious concern. “He didn’t do anything, did he?”

“I’m fine,” Kurt said quickly, smiling at Finn as he watched Finn put the apples and onions in the buggy. “He and Noah evidently had a talk, and he wanted to let me know I don’t have to run from him when I see him anymore.”

Finn looked surprised. “Is that why you turned around so quick a few minutes ago?” Kurt nodded, flushing, and then Finn frowned as he said, “I didn’t even see him. Why didn’t you say something?”

“I thought we could just avoid him,” Kurt said with a little shrug, starting the buggy towards the registers. “He usually doesn’t bother me if he sees me away from school, not unless I’m alone, and he saw you with me.”

Finn walked along with Kurt in silence a moment before he said quietly, “I never realized how scary it must be for you.”

“It’s intimidating sometimes,” Kurt admitted, “but I refuse to be ruled by fear.” He smiled. “And I don’t have to worry about Azimio anymore, at least. He was one that scared me the most. Karofsky is cruel, but he’s a coward down deep and he’s never had the guts to bother me away from school. Azimio, he’s not afraid of _anything_.”

“Except maybe Puck,” Finn pointed out.

“No, he’s not afraid of Noah, either,” Kurt disagreed. “He just respects him.”

“That’s a start, I guess,” Finn said slowly.

Kurt looked at Finn, smiling. “It’s enough that he said he’d leave me alone from now on. His exact words were along the lines of he’s got ‘mad respect’ for Noah, and he gave me his word he’s not going to bother me as long as I stay out of his face.”

“If he gave his word, he’ll do it,” Finn said quietly. “He’s mean to people he doesn’t like, but he doesn’t lie.”

“I’ve heard the same about him.” Kurt turned the buggy into the only register on that end of the store with a teller. “Noah says he’s not a bad guy, he’s just been raised to be homophobic and can't tolerate anyone that doesn’t fit into his idea of what’s acceptable.”

“That sounds about right,” Finn agreed, moving around in front of the buggy to start unloading it quickly.

Kurt moved to help, not saying anything more mostly because he wasn’t sure what else to say, though he did smile at Finn when he caught Finn looking at him. Finn smiled back, obviously relieved, and went back to stacking the drinks on the conveyor belt as Kurt turned to get a few candy bars to have on hand as sweets for when his dad, Finn, or Carole wanted a quick snack, making sure he grabbed a variety because everyone seemed to like something different. He knew he didn’t really _need_ to say anything else to Finn on the subject, not anymore.

Finn wouldn’t take Kurt’s silence wrong this time, so he didn’t feel pressured to fill it like he might have before he and Finn talked.

 

~*~

 

Puck was on his knees with Dean sitting on his thighs, letting his forehead rest against the back of Dean’s head as he gasped for breath and listened to Dean doing the same. It had been a long time since he had sex standing up and came so hard he collapsed to his knees, but he wasn’t about to complain. He was tired in all the best ways and he knew that when he got home he’d sleep like the dead for a change, at least until Quinn woke him up to go deliver the papers in a couple of hours.

Puck had thought sex under the stars with Dean bent over the hood of his Impala would be a lot of fun when Dean made it plain he was interested in the idea, but the reality had ended up being way more awesome than Puck had expected. He was still a little worried by how intense sex with Dean was, whether he was doing the fucking or not, but he liked the way Dean made him feel way too much to avoid it. It wasn’t like he was going to keep fucking around with Dean _forever_ or anything, so he didn’t see any reason not to enjoy how awesome Dean could make him feel.

Kurt was cool with it, had even been the one to suggest the idea, really, and that was the important thing to Puck. Once he and Kurt got to the point that Puck was sure Kurt was ready for sex, Puck wouldn’t be fucking around with anyone else ever again, not even with Dean. Sex with Dean was kind of frighteningly good, but Puck believed Dean's opinion that it would have to be even better with Kurt, even though the thought was a little scary. The things Puck had done with Kurt so far were kind of innocent by Puck’s standards, but with Kurt they had been so intense that he knew sex with Kurt was going to be overwhelming. It was a large part of his hesitancy to go that far, though he tried not to think about it because it made him feel kind of like a girl to admit it even to himself.

Puck realized that Dean was trembling and kind of tense, and he slowly ran his hands over Dean’s belly and chest, urging Dean to settle back more firmly against him as he whispered softly, “Relax, babe. I’ve got you.”

Dean was very still for a moment before he settled back against Puck’s chest, finally letting himself relax as he breathed out almost silently, “Okay.”

Puck kissed the side of Dean’s neck, noticing the bite mark that was already turning purple on Dean’s shoulder and then brushing a feather-light kiss across it too before he murmured, “I didn’t mean to bite you so hard.”

“I liked it,” Dean admitted, just barely audible. “It felt so good I came without even touching my dick.”

“Damn,” Puck breathed out softly, surprised but feeling suddenly smug as he licked up to Dean’s ear and then purred into it, “Next time I’m gonna watch you do that.”

Dean turned his head a little towards Puck, looking at him out of the corner of his eye as he said quietly, “Not tonight, you won’t. I couldn’t get it up if I _had to_ after that.”

Puck smirked, pulling back a bit to look at Dean as he said smugly, “Sounds like you’ve been well and truly fucked, Deano.”

“Repeatedly,” Dean agreed with a little smirk of his own, turning more as his gaze dropped to Puck’s lips. “Which is probably why I wish we could stay like this.”

Puck kissed Dean instead of answering, loving the soft little noises he wasn’t sure Dean even realized he was making as he responded. Kissing Dean reminded Puck of kissing Kurt in a lot of ways, even though the overwhelming love that Puck felt when Kurt kissed him wasn’t quite there. He wanted Dean and he liked him a hell of a lot, and when they kissed it was intense enough to make Puck want more so badly he was very sure he knew who he’d be spending his free time with whenever Kurt was busy with the girls. Dean and Puck wouldn’t have time to hook up often, but when they did, Puck wasn’t about to let the chance go by him.

Puck finally ended the kiss after a few minutes, resting his forehead against Dean’s temple as he whispered reluctantly, “I have to get at least a little sleep before dawn. I got a busy day ahead of me.”

“I know,” Dean agreed with a sigh, patting Puck’s arm where it was still wrapped around his waist. “You’re gonna have to help me up. I’m not sure if my knees are really gonna hold me yet.”

Puck chuckled softly and moved his hands to Dean’s hips as he kissed Dean’s shoulder again, enjoying the little shudder that went through Dean when Puck’s lips pressed gently against the slowly darkening bite mark on Dean’s pale skin. “I got your back.”

Dean reached for the Impala’s front bumper without any more hesitation, using it to help him lever himself up as Puck half-lifted him to his feet, steadying Dean when he swayed. “Damn,” Dean said with a soft little laugh. “It’s been a long time since I felt this weak in the knees without some tequila helpin’ me along.”

Puck smirked, feeling very smug as he lifted up onto his knees right behind Dean, moving in close against the back of Dean’s legs to give Dean something solid to lean against as he ran his hands slowly over Dean’s hips and thighs. He was still a little surprised that – like him – Dean used Nair to get rid of most of his body hair, but he really liked it. Dean’s skin was silky smooth with solid muscle underneath like Kurt’s instead of the softness Puck had gotten used to with girls, but Dean’s legs were even hairier than Puck’s were from mid-thigh down, and he enjoyed feeling the contrast between the smoothness of Dean’s hip and the scratchy fuzzy feel of his thighs. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Dean smiled down at him as he said quietly, “You don’t have to hold me up now.”

“You sure?” Puck asked, grinning. “You were swaying like a tree in a high wind.”

Dean laughed, blushing a bit. “I’m sure.”

“Okay,” Puck agreed, impulsively kissing Dean’s hip before he settled back onto his heels again and reached for Dean’s jeans to start tugging them up. “You sure you’re gonna be able to drive?”

“I’ll be fine as long as I don’t have to walk home,” Dean agreed, reaching down to tug his jeans out of Puck’s grasp before turning to rest his butt back against the Impala. “You worry about your jeans, an’ I’ll get mine.”

Puck snickered. “Sure, babe.” He got to his feet, feeling smug that he didn’t sway even though he felt a little more shaky than he was letting on as he tugged his jeans up from where they had fallen down around his knees. He tugged off the condom, being careful to make sure it turned mostly inside out so the worst of the mess would be contained, and then tied it off and stuffed it in his pocket before he tucked his dick into his jeans and then buttoned up as he looked at Dean again.

Dean had just finished buttoning his jeans and was watching Puck with an intent look in his eyes, blushing slightly when Puck caught him watching. “I’m glad you texted me earlier,” he murmured quietly, fastening his belt and then just standing there and watching Puck. “I had a hell of a lot more fun tonight than I would’ve had without you.”

Puck moved closer to Dean, smiling as he settled his hands on Dean’s waist and murmured, “Same here.” He leaned in to kiss Dean softly, pleased by the way Dean put his hands on Puck’s chest and met him half way, and then they pulled apart a little as Puck gave Dean an impish little grin and murmured, “Now let me drive your baby.”

Dean’s eyes widened and he let out a surprised little huff of a laugh. “Why? It’s only what, a _mile_ to your place from here?”

“C’mon, you know you want to,” Puck murmured, smirking as he leaned in to nuzzle the corner of Dean’s jaw near his ear. “I’ll let you top next time.”

Dean snorted, sounding amused as he pointed out, “I like gettin’ fucked way too much for that to be a bribe, Puckasaurus.”

Puck pulled back a little to look into Dean’s eyes again, amused. “But she’s just so _sexy_ , Deano. I wanna drive her just a little. I promise not to hurt her.”

Dean stared into Puck’s eyes for a moment and then he gave Puck’s chest a little push as he muttered, “Let’s get out of here before I change my mind.”

Puck grinned and kissed Dean soundly, then moved quickly towards the driver’s side of the car, grabbing Dean’s shirt off the hood on his way. “I’ll make it worth your while sooner or later.”

“You’d better,” Dean agreed with a soft laugh, opening the passenger door.

Puck slid into the driver’s seat and then smirked at Dean, offering him his t-shirt as he said cheerfully, “At least there’s no traffic this late, and the local cops won’t give me a ticket if the guy on duty tonight happens to catch us.”

“ _The_ guy?” Dean repeated with a laugh as he took his shirt and started to turn it right-side out.

Puck smirked, watching Dean. “Yep. Between two and five in the morning there’s never more than one guy on patrol out this way, and only a couple in town. Nothing ever happens out here at three in the morning and the city council got tired of paying cops to drive around wasting gas and drinking coffee while they bitch at each other on the radio about how bored they are.”

Dean snickered, tugging his t-shirt on. “That’s just sad.”

“But convenient,” Puck pointed out as he started the Impala, smirking. “When I’m late heading home or on the way to work, it’s kind of nice that the cops all know my truck and don’t bother pulling me over ‘cause they know I’m not gonna wrap the Ranger around a tree or something.”

“They don’t know my car,” Dean pointed out, smiling.

“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Puck said with a laugh, backing the Impala across the overgrown driveway and then turning to drive slowly towards the road, mindful of the ruts that he knew could be hell on shocks if someone got in a hurry. “It’s all over school that you and me are tight, and after spending all evening at Pete’s together fleecing people—“ He glanced at Dean, smirking. “—including a cop that has the night shift a lot of the time, I’m sure word’s spreading fast.”

“I guess Lima really _is_ a small town,” Dean said, looking surprised.

“Yep, but it’s not so bad,” Puck said, grinning as he turned onto the dirt road and gave the Impala a little more gas, loving the low growl of pure power from the engine. “There’s worse places to live, I bet, and it’s kinda nice knowing what to expect from folks.”

“I can see how it would be,” Dean agreed.

Dean’s tone of voice made Puck look at him, grinning wider at the look on Dean’s face. “Don’t worry, babe. There’s a reason the local cops don’t worry about me driving fast. It’s my second favorite hobby.”

Dean laughed, looking at Puck. “Do you practice it as often as your favorite?”

“Even more,” Puck said, smirking as he looked forward again. “I can drive fast all by myself.” He slowed to turn onto the highway and then glanced at Dean as he added, “Just sit back and enjoy.”

Dean snorted, but he looked amused so Puck didn’t wait for an answer before he looked at the road again and pushed the gas pedal towards the floor, letting out a surprised laugh when he felt the way the Impala leapt forward as the engine roared. “Holy shit!” He glanced at the speedometer, which was climbing a hell of a lot faster than he had expected for such a big old car, and then he looked at the road again as he said, “Oh baby, I have _got_ to drive this sexy hunk of Detroit steel a _hell_ of a lot more often.”

“Maybe,” Dean said teasingly. “If you’re _real_ good.”

Puck laughed, glancing at the needle again as it climbed past eighty and then looking back at the road as he said feelingly, “I’ll be fan-fuckin’-tastic, Deano. I promise.”

Dean just laughed, and Puck was grinning ear to ear as he glanced down at the speedometer, marveling at how smooth and easy the Impala was running as she topped a ninety and kept on going.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

 

 

Kurt was snuggled comfortably between two warm bodies, deep in a dream where he was in bed with Quinn and Noah and a tiny little toddler with Sarah’s curly mop of dark hair, Noah’s hazel eyes, and Quinn’s beautiful face. He didn’t remember how they all ended up in bed together, or why they were all wearing pink footie pajamas and had bows in their hair, even Noah, who looked ridiculous with a pink bow stuck to his mohawk on top of his head, but they were all happy and comfortable and Kurt felt so relaxed and loved that he never wanted the dream to end.

Which is, of course, why the alarm on his iPod, which was in the dock on his stereo, chose then to go off and start playing a very familiar tune. Kurt opened his eyes slowly, blinking blearily even as his lips curved in a sleepy little smile. Mercedes was on her stomach in front of him, which meant it had to be Tina snuggled up so close to his back with her arm around his waist and one leg tangled with his as he listened to the music and debated trying to get another five minutes of sleep.

“ _Baby tell me is this good for you? ‘Cause for me it's a dream come true. I think about you both day and night, if this is wrong I don't care if I'm right. ‘Cause I know, one thing's for certain, boy I'm not hurtin' for inspiration. And I feel, when we're together, it could be forever and ever and ever. I wanna be the ocean to your shore, give you comfort evermore. I wanna be the only thing you need, be the oxygen you breathe.”_

Mercedes turned her head towards him, scowling with her eyes barely open as she said, “Boy what were you _thinkin’_ , setting that damned thing for _five_?”

Kurt let out a quiet little giggle and moved to kiss Mercedes’ cheek, then murmured, “I need to get up now, sweetie, but you go on back to sleep. I’ll wake you when breakfast is ready.”

Mercedes let out a little huff, turning her head the other way as she shifted a little, getting comfortable again as she muttered, “Damn right I’m goin’ back to sleep. Wakin’ me up so early on a freakin’ _Saturday_ …” Her grumbling trailed off there, and before ‘ _Oxygen_ ’ had finished she was already letting out the soft little snores that told Kurt without a shadow of a doubt that she was sound asleep again.

Kurt stifled another giggle as he rolled over and started to gently untangle himself from Tina, who could easily sleep through a tornado he was sure. She didn’t rouse at all as he moved her arm and her leg, then climbed over her to get off of the bed, and he was smiling with amusement as he tucked the blankets back around her and then headed for the bathroom, turning off the music on his way by it. The only light in his room was the night-light in the bathroom, but he had no problem navigating the familiar room without running into anything.

Kurt was bright-eyed and feeling wide-awake as he walked out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, still in his pajama pants and Noah’s sweatshirt even though his hair was perfectly styled and his breath minty fresh. He went to grab his phone off the dressing table before he moved quickly towards the stairs, climbing them silently and then closing his door quietly behind him before he walked to the kitchen light switch. He blinked at the sudden bright light for only a moment before he moved towards the coffee pot, humming softly to himself as he went about his familiar daily routine.

Kurt put a fresh filter in the coffee pot, adding the right amount of water, and then he got the coffee beans out of the cabinet and filled the grinder with enough for a pot. He checked his phone while the grinder whirred, and beamed when he found three texts from Noah waiting for him.

The first one had been sent at around three in the morning, more than an hour after Kurt had gone to bed, and said simply, ‘ _night babe xoxo_.’ The second and third texts had come in just a few minutes after five, and Kurt realized that Noah had texted while Kurt was in the bathroom. ‘ _mornin babe headin 2 run papers_ ,’ had been followed quickly by, ‘ _doin ur street last. b there 6ish_.’

Kurt turned off the grinder, pouring the fragrant freshly ground coffee into the filter and then putting it into the coffee machine and turning it on before he picked up his phone again to send a text to Noah. ‘ _good morning sweetheart. xoxo. breakfast should be ready when you get here. anything you want with your quiche?’_

Kurt barely had time to get down two coffee mugs and set them by the coffee machine before his phone was buzzing as it vibrated against the counter. He reached for it quickly and accepted the text.

‘ _puck is 2 busy driving 2 answer u but i want bacon! q_ ’

Kurt giggled as he quickly texted back, ‘ _there will be bacon i promise. does he want anything special?_ ’

He waited for only a few moments before another reply arrived. ‘ _he says as long as he gets a good morning kiss hes good :D_ ’

Kurt smiled so wide he felt like his face might actually crack. ‘ _he’ll get at least one, i promise_.’

 _‘then hes happy_ ,’ Quinn replied almost as soon as he had send the text, followed quickly by another. _‘we both <3 u 4 spoiling us_.’

 _‘i love you both too_ ,’ Kurt replied, still beaming. ‘ _see you soon.’_

‘ _by 6_ ,’ was the reply. ‘ _im gonna help puck w the papers tty when we c u_.’

Kurt didn’t reply so Quinn could put the phone away to help Noah, who he knew was likely rushing through his route that morning. Noah’s grandmother expected him to be at her house before she wanted to leave at seven, which wouldn’t leave Noah much time to eat breakfast. That was why Kurt was so determined that he would have breakfast ready before Noah got there. They wouldn't be together again until that night, and the prospect of going through his whole _day_ without Noah wasn’t exactly a welcome one.

Kurt wanted to at least eat breakfast with Noah before they had to part for the day, even though he was pretty sure that Noah would be spending the night that night. He had already asked his dad’s permission, and even though Burt hadn’t actually said it was okay yet, he _had_ said that Noah could live with them if he needed to, so Kurt was confident that Burt would allow Noah to stay that night. Nancy wouldn't be home to be unhappy that Noah, Quinn, and Sarah stayed at Kurt’s instead of going home to be with her, so Kurt knew that he would probably get to sleep in Noah’s arms for the first time. He couldn’t wait for the day to be over so that he could climb into bed with Noah and enjoy being held all night long. It was going to be wonderful, he was sure. He always slept much more soundly when the girls stayed over and slept with him, and he was sure having Noah holding him all night would be even better.

Kurt started humming quietly to himself as he walked to the fridge to get the ingredients he’d need to make the quiche. He took out the eggs first, using the carton as a base to pile on the sour cream, a small carton of heavy cream, a handful of scallions, two stalks of celery, a package of maple chicken sausage, and a bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. He carried everything to the counter and set it all down carefully, then got out his favorite stainless steel sauté pan and a wooden spatula to start cooking the sausage.

Kurt was so happy bustling around the empty kitchen making breakfast that he didn’t really notice when his humming turned into singing softly while he moved with the music only he could hear, his mind still on the new playlist on his iPod he had called simply ‘Noah’. He had put together a playlist of some of his favorite songs that made him think about Noah a few days ago, songs that never failed to make him smile and feel good, and he loved it.

“ _As the desert skies turn into shadow light, beside me on my bed tonight, your love is the only light I see. You feel like the only home I’ve ever known, and I am shown, oh how you've shown, tonight_.”

Kurt was satisfied with the way the sausage was scrambled, so he turned the burner down on low to finish cooking while he got out his santoku knife to dice the white parts of the scallions, still singing softly to himself as he started to work. “ _You seem like a memory that I’ve always known, it has shown, as long as I go, long as I go. Safe and lost forever in a fantasy, tosses and turns, my heart never yearns. My heart never yearns.”_

He made short work of the scallions and then moved on to the celery, cutting the stalk into narrower sticks before he started to slice across them to make a small enough dice that the celery would cook as quickly as the onions. “ _There’s no better place to be than in your arms. There’s no other thing to see, you’re the cornbread and iced tea of life. You feel like the only home I’ve ever known, and I am shown—”_

“Coffee done yet, son?” Burt asked quietly, making Kurt stop singing in surprise as he turned to look towards the door. Burt was already dressed for the day and looked wide awake despite the fact it wasn’t even five thirty yet, and he gave Kurt a soft smile as he added, “Whatever you’re cookin’ smells good.”

“It’s sausage, for the quiche,” Kurt explained with a quick smile for his dad, putting down his knife and then moving to get Burt a cup of coffee. “And yes, the coffee’s ready. Have a seat.”

Burt went to his chair and sat down, staying silent until Kurt had carried his coffee over to him. He smiled at Kurt as he accepted the coffee mug, murmuring, “Thanks, son.”

“My pleasure.” Kurt smiled at his dad, feeling happy and cheerful as he turned back towards the stove, moving to stir the sausage and then getting out a mixing bowl and a slotted spoon. He made quick work of scooping the scrambled sausage out of the pan and then set the bowl of sausage aside while he put the scallions and the celery into the sausage drippings, stirring them to be sure it was all coated.

Kurt was barely aware that he had started singing again as he moved to finish slicing the celery, keeping his voice quiet out of habit. “ _It’s so amazing how something so sweet, has come and rearranged my life, I've been kissed by destiny. Oh, heaven came and saved me, an angel was placed at my feet. This isn't ordinary, he's loving me for me_.”

“It’s been a long time since I heard you singin’ while you cook,” Burt said suddenly then.

Kurt blushed as he added the last of the celery to the pan and realized he had been singing out loud again, and more importantly _what_ he had been singing while his dad was in the same room. He glanced at Burt, expecting to see he looked unhappy, so he was a little surprised to see a relaxed smile on his dad’s face. He just stared for a moment before he went back to watching the pan, stirring it slowly as he admitted, “I didn’t even notice I was doing it.”

“You never do, when you’re really happy,” Burt pointed out, sounding amused. “Your mom was the same way.” He paused slightly and then added softly, “I’d ask what’s got you in such a good mood so early on a Saturday, but what you’re singin’ already told me.”

Kurt let out a soft little laugh, feeling his face heating up even more as he reached to turn on the oven, setting it to four hundred as he admitted, “I’m looking forward to seeing him soon, yes.”

“I can tell,” Burt said dryly, amused. “I might be worried if I wasn’t so sure he’s crazy about you.”

“I love him too,” Kurt said quietly, stirring the onions and celery again and then moving to the fridge to take out the two pie shells he had baked the night before while he made the two apple pies that had disappeared with frightening speed once they were done. There were only three slices of apple pie left, and those three were only there because Kurt had a fit when Finn and Burt both tried to go back for thirds.

“Pass that pie over here while you’re in there, son,” Burt said then, and Kurt had to smile at how happy he sounded.

Kurt took out the pie shells and the pan that held the last three slices of apple pie, walking over to the table with them as he said firmly, “You may have _one_ piece, Dad. The others are for Noah and Quinn.”

“I’ll leave their slices alone,” Burt agreed, smiling. “Fork?”

Kurt laughed and reached into the drawer by the island’s small sink for a fork, offering it to his dad. “Here.”

“Thanks,” Burt said cheerfully as he took the fork, tugging the plastic wrap off the pie and then digging in, eating it right out of the pan.

Kurt just shook his head in amusement as he turned away, carrying the pre-baked pie shells to the counter to put them down by the other ingredients before he moved to stir the pan of onions and celery again. The veggies were soft and mostly cooked so he turned off the heat and then carefully scooped the onions and celery out of the sausage drippings, adding them to the sausage in the mixing bowl. He put the pan aside and moved to the cabinet over the breadbox, taking out the flour before he moved to another cabinet to get a small can of green chilies and another of mushrooms.

Kurt put the flour canister on the counter and then moved to the can opener with the two cans, opening them and then draining the contents over the sink before he carried them back to the cutting board. He dumped the green chilies and the mushrooms out together and made short work of dicing them before he added them to the sausage and veggies. He moved to grab another bowl, a spoon, and a small whisk and then put five eggs, a dollop of sour cream, and a few tablespoons of the heavy cream into the bowl and whipped the mixture until it was smooth and frothy.

He pulled the bowl of sausage and veggies over, adding a cup of the shredded cheese and then scooping out a few tablespoons of flour to add on top of the cheese. He stirred it all up thoroughly and then poured it into the pre-baked pie shells, dividing it evenly and spreading it out in both pie shells before he added the egg mixture in on top, careful to split it evenly. He tapped the sides of the pans to be sure there were no air pockets and then moved to get down a cookie sheet out of the cabinet, putting both quiches on the pan and then setting them in the oven.

Kurt turned the oven down to three-seventy-five and then set the timer for thirty minutes before he quickly cleaned up the mess he had made, putting everything away again. He finally moved back to the coffee pot after a few minutes, pouring himself a mug of coffee and then looking towards his dad as he asked quietly, “More coffee, Dad?”

Burt smiled and nodded. “Please.”

Kurt carried his mug and the coffee pot to the table, setting his mug by his usual seat and then pouring Burt another cup of coffee as he saw that Burt had already polished off his slice of pie. “Do you want anything else?”

“I can wait for breakfast now,” Burt said quickly, grinning. “That was really good pie, son.”

Kurt smiled, pleased. “Thank you.” He carried the coffee pot back to the machine, grabbing his cell phone to carry it with him as he walked back around the island to sit down finally.

“See?” Burt teased quietly, “I didn’t touch your boyfriend’s pie.”

“Good,” Kurt said with a soft little laugh, teasingly moving the pie further from Burt as if he were afraid Burt still might decide to eat it. “He doesn’t make pies from what I understand, just cakes and cookies.”

“He actually bakes too?” Burt asked, surprised.

Kurt snorted softly, amused. “Yes, Dad, he bakes. He’s an excellent cook.”

“He’s had to be,” Carole said quietly, walking into the kitchen as Kurt looked towards the sound of her voice in surprise. She was wearing her favorite fluffy robe over her pajamas and smiling as she walked to the coffee pot, adding, “Noah has been cooking for himself and Sarah since he was twelve, and helped me cook before that.” She opened the cabinet over the coffee maker to get a mug. “I always had a terrible time getting Finn to help me in the kitchen, but Noah was glad to help as long as Finn kept Sarah occupied for us.”

“He says he learned all he knows from you,” Kurt agreed, smiling as he watched Carole pour her coffee. “Well, you and his Nana’s cookbooks, but she didn’t give those to him until his birthday last year. He still hasn’t had time to try all of the old family recipes in there, but he plans to.”

Carole walked around the island to take her usual seat between Kurt and Burt, smiling. “I’m sure he’s enjoying that. He always loved her cooking.”

Kurt nodded quickly, beaming. “Oh yes. He finally got her matzo ball soup perfect just the other day, and Nancy was so impressed she claimed all of the leftovers for her lunches.”

Carole laughed. “Nancy always did love her mother’s matzo ball soup. She used to ask for it on her birthday every year.”

“Now she can have it anytime,” Kurt said, smiling happily. “Noah’s so proud he got it right that he’d probably make it once a week if she asked him to.”

Carole laughed again at that while Burt smiled at Kurt and asked, “Does he only cook kosher food?”

“Always,” Kurt agreed, nodding. “His mother and Sarah keep kosher, and they’re the ones he cooks for so he doesn’t really make any non-kosher dishes.” He laughed softly and then added, “He knows _how_ to make lots of non-kosher variations on things he does cook, like bacon cheeseburgers or meat and cheese lasagna, but he’s never actually _made_ any of them. His mom would kill him if she came home and the house smelled like bacon, or she found him feeding Sarah a lasagna that had beef, eggs, and cheese in it together.”

Carole smiled, amused. “Dead.”

Kurt laughed, nodding. “As the proverbial doornail.” He grinned at Carole. “Which is why we have a strict policy that what his mother doesn’t know about his eating habits, won’t hurt him.”

“Just don’t tell me whatever it is you two hide from me and we’ll all be fine,” Burt said dryly, reaching for his coffee mug.

“We don’t really hide anything from you, Dad,” Kurt said with a soft little laugh, blushing. “You know we… do things, but we haven’t done anything more than kiss here, and we’re waiting for sex like you asked us to.”

“Good,” Burt said gruffly. “Now change the subject.”

Carole and Kurt both laughed at that even though Kurt was still blushing, and a moment later Carole was steering the conversation towards the much safer ground of Kurt’s plans for the day.

 

~*~

 

Puck inhaled happily as he opened the Hummels’ front door, holding it for Quinn and grinning at how delicious the house smelled. Breakfast must be either ready or close to it, because he could smell the quiche and bacon and something that was either biscuits or bread. All of it together smelled like a little piece of heaven to him just then, and his stomach rumbled loudly.

Quinn made a low happy noise as Puck closed the door, murmuring, “I do love your boyfriend.” She gave Puck an amused smile and then started quickly towards the kitchen as she added, “No wonder you eat breakfast with him so often.”

Puck grinned and followed her. “He’s an awesome cook.”

Kurt evidently heard him, because he was already moving quickly towards Puck when he stepped into the kitchen, and Puck barely noticed the others in the room as he stared at Kurt. He had intended to give Kurt the awesome news that Quinn had told him just a few minutes ago, but seeing Kurt made him completely forget about it for the moment. He was barefoot in a pair of pajama pants several sizes too large and one of Puck’s own sweatshirts, and Puck was a little surprised by how sexy he thought Kurt looked even in the baggy, shapeless clothes that hid his beautiful body. It hadn’t really been that long since Puck saw him, just fifteen hours or so, but as he watched Kurt approach him it suddenly seemed like they had been apart forever.

“So are you, sweetheart,” Kurt murmured as he reached Puck, lifting his arms without hesitation to put them around Puck’s neck.

Puck put his hands on Kurt’s waist, chuckling slightly as he let Kurt pull him down into a loving kiss that stretched on for several moments before Kurt finally ended it to give him a sweet happy smile. “Morning, baby,” Puck murmured with a smile, letting his hands slide around to the small of Kurt’s back to pull him a little closer. “Breakfast smells fantastic.”

“Thank you,” Kurt replied softly, beaming. “It’s ready, too. I don’t want you to be late.” He stretched upwards, tugging Puck’s head down for another kiss, and then he finally let Puck go, stepping back and blushing suddenly as he seemed to remember his parents were watching them. “Go have a seat while I finish getting plates.”

Puck moved after Kurt to kiss him once more, then grinned at him. “Whatever you want, baby.”

Kurt giggled, looking pleased despite his lingering blush as he turned away to walk around the island. “I do love hearing you say that.”

“I kinda knew that,” Puck pointed out, smirking as he moved towards the island, finally noticing that everyone else was already sitting down and had their plates. Burt and Carole were in their usual chairs, and Kurt’s favorite coffee mug, a vivid purple one Burt had bought for him that said ‘World’s Greatest Cook’, was in front of the empty chair by Carole, so Puck figured the chair next to it was for him. Mercedes was sitting next to it, smirking as she watched him and sipped at her orange juice. Quinn was already sitting next to Mercedes with a plate that held a slice of apple pie and several slices of bacon, and Tina was sitting at the end happily eating a slice of quiche.

“Morning, sir,” Puck said as he took a seat, smiling at Burt and then at Carole as he added, “Aunt Carole.” He grinned at Mercedes and Tina. “Girls.”

Burt nodded and smiled at Puck but didn’t say anything, too busy eating his breakfast to speak.

Carole reached for a plate with a slice of apple pie on it and moved it in front of Puck, giving him a warm smile as she said cheerfully, “Good morning, Noah. We saved you a slice of the apple pie Kurt made last night.”

Puck grinned, pleased. “Thanks, Aunt Carole.” He looked over towards Kurt, watching as Kurt carried two plates of quiche towards him, one with bacon and one without. “You should have eaten with everyone else, babe. You didn’t have to wait for us.”

Kurt smiled at Puck as he walked around the island with the plates. “I just barely got everyone else their plates, sweetheart.” He put the plates down and then moved back towards the counter, asking, “What do you two want to drink?”

“Water for me,” Quinn said, looking wry. “I can’t have real coffee, and orange juice just doesn’t go well with apple pie.”

Mercedes snickered. “ _Bacon_ doesn’t go well with apple pie, either.”

Quinn giggled and swatted Mercedes’ arm lightly. “Bite your tongue, woman! Bacon goes with _everything_.”

Puck grinned at the way Mercedes just laughed at Quinn, looking over towards Kurt again as he said, “Whatever you’re having is fine for me, babe.”

Kurt made short work of getting their drinks, carrying them back to the table and then sitting down as he gave Puck an amused look and said, “Eat, sweetheart, before it gets cold.”

“I was waiting for you,” Puck said with a pleased grin, reaching for his fork as he tugged the apple pie closer. “I think you might have given me the wrong quiche though.”

Kurt laughed softly. “If you don’t want the bacon, I’m sure Quinn does.”

“Yes please!” Quinn said quickly, looking hopeful as she leaned to look past Mercedes at Puck.

Puck laughed and passed the bacon to her, teasing, “You and bacon.”

“It’s all your fault,” Quinn countered quickly, putting the bacon on her plate next to her slice of apple pie. “I never really liked bacon very much until now.”

Puck snickered. “Uh-huh, sure. Blame it on me.” He took a bite of his apple pie, which smelled great, and then let out a low groan at the taste as he looked quickly at Kurt, surprised and pleased. He chewed and swallowed quickly, then said, “Wow, babe, that’s _awesome_ pie.”

Kurt smiled and leaned to kiss Puck’s cheek, then looked down at his own plate finally to start eating his quiche as he murmured, “I’m glad you like it, sweetheart.”

“Of course I like it,” Puck said quickly with a soft little laugh. “It’s _incredible_.”

Kurt beamed as he took a bite of his quiche, looking very happy but not saying anything because his mouth was full.

“You should’ve had some last night,” Tina said suddenly, making Puck look towards her in surprise. She was beaming happily and watching Puck as she cut another bite off of her slice of quiche and added, “It was even better right out of the oven with vanilla ice cream on top.”

“I’m sure it was,” Puck agreed, grinning as he looked back at Kurt. “Looks like I have to add something else to the list of things you need to teach me how to make.”

Kurt beamed at Puck. “I’ll make you a pie whenever you want one. I don’t mind.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that, babe,” Puck threatened, grinning as he got another bite of pie. “This is the best apple pie I ever had.”

Carole smiled and teased, “Better than mine, Noah?”

Puck let out a little laugh, chewing and swallowing his mouthful of pie before he grinned at Carole and said, “Better than the last apple pie you made that I tried, for sure.”

Carole laughed. “I didn’t _mean_ to switch the sugar and salt!”

“Oh no,” Kurt said, giggling as he looked at Carole. “That must have been _awful_.”

“It was,” Carole agreed, amused. “I had made it for Thanksgiving, and we had to throw away two whole pies.”

“We ended up having store-bought pie instead,” Puck added, snickering.

Carole chuckled, nodding. “Noah had just gotten his Ranger and volunteered to run out and find something for dessert even though there was nowhere open except for convenience stores.”

“And they were all out of everything pie-like until I got to the truck stop,” Puck added with a laugh. “They had two Key Lime pies left back in the freezer, so that’s what we had.”

Burt chuckled, amused. “At least the truck stop has good pie.”

Puck grinned, looking towards Burt. “They feed the truckers store-bought pies they get at Sam’s Club in Dayton by the case. Mrs. Smiths isn’t near as good as homemade, but it’ll do when it’s all I can find at five o’clock on Thanksgiving with six people at home waiting for dessert.”

Burt laughed and nodded. “Sounds like it would, for sure.”

Kurt nudged Puck with his elbow then, making him look at Kurt in surprise as Kurt teased, “Eat your breakfast, Noah, or you won’t have time to finish before you have to go.”

Puck glanced at the microwave, surprised to see it was already six-fifteen, and then he laughed and nodded, giving Kurt a sheepish grin. “You’re right.”

Kurt smirked, pleased and smug. “Of course I am. Now shut up and eat.”

Puck laughed and did as he was told, digging into his pie again and trying to ignore the way Carole and the girls were all giggling at him.

 

~*~

 

Kurt kept stealing glances at Noah as he ate breakfast and talked with Carole and the girls about their shopping trip that was planned for the day. Noah was being very quiet but he looked happy and relaxed and he obviously loved the food, so Kurt didn’t worry about it too much. Noah had made a habit of just sitting and listening when Kurt was talking with the girls, and he felt Noah’s gaze on him often enough to be sure Noah was spending a lot of his time watching Kurt, though Kurt only caught him at it a few times.

Kurt wasn’t watching Noah because he was worried about him. He kept finding his gaze drawn back to Noah because he looked entirely too edible for Kurt’s peace of mind. Noah had dressed that morning knowing he was going to Temple, and he was wearing a pair of black Dockers that fit him closely enough that Kurt was sure Noah hadn’t bought them, along with a crisp pale grey button-front shirt and the black vest he had worn once to serenade Mercedes, and Kurt was simply captivated.

Kurt had _known_ that Noah cleaned up nicely when he wanted to, but he so seldom actually saw it that it was always a surprise. Noah actually had rather good taste in clothes when he put out an effort to look good, but Noah didn’t really _care_ about his clothes so he usually wore baggy jeans and either t-shirts that might or might not have borderline-offensive sayings on them or tank tops with an open button-front shirt over them. Noah _always_ looked presentable – Kurt had no idea how he could make the baggy jeans in particular look so good – but he seldom looked as clean-cut and even _elegant_ as he looked on the rare occasion he put out a real effort.

Even Noah’s mohawk, which Kurt knew made most people immediately classify Noah as a punk, didn’t really detract from his look as far as Kurt was concerned. He actually liked Noah’s mohawk and thought it looked much better on him than the buzzed look that seemed to be the only other option Noah would entertain, but he knew he was rather biased. Kurt loved seeing Noah so cocky and sure of himself, even if he did sometimes tease him about it, and he knew that Noah’s love for his ‘badass’ mohawk was a large part of his self-image.

Kurt glanced at Noah again, smiling, and found Noah watching him with a little grin as he teased softly, “You got awful quiet over there, babe.”

Kurt laughed softly. “I could say the same about you.”

Noah smirked. “I was busy putting away that awesome quiche you made. You and the girls can take your time, but I’ve got to get out of here in a few minutes.”

Kurt glanced over at the microwave, seeing that it was six-forty, then looked back at Noah as he teased, “Isn’t it a twenty minute drive to your Nana’s house from here?”

Noah grinned. “For you, yeah. I can make it in fifteen, easy.”

Quinn giggled. “Ten if he’s in a hurry.”

Burt snorted, amused. “And how many speeding tickets are on your record, son?”

Noah grinned at Burt, pleased with himself. “Just two, and I got both of them in Dayton.”

“You’d have a hundred if the cops in Lima didn’t like you so much,” Quinn pointed out, snickering.

Noah looked at Quinn, smirking. “They’re my buds, they’re not gonna give me tickets. I’m very careful and I never cause ‘em any problems.”

“I’d be afraid of your driving if I hadn’t ridden with you so often,” Kurt agreed, amused.

“As long as you’re safe, I guess that’s what matters,” Burt said, nodding as he stood and walked to the counter to get another slice of quiche.

“I could have gotten that for you, Dad,” Kurt said as he watched Burt inexpertly scoop a slice of quiche out of the pan with his fork.

“I got it, son,” Burt said easily, grabbing the coffee pot and then moving back to the table. He refilled his coffee mug and then Carole’s, looking at Kurt with a smile. “You want some more?”

Kurt smiled and shook his head. “No, thank you. I’ve got some, and I need to go get ready soon.”

Noah stood up and gathered his dishes, smiling down at Kurt as he murmured, “You done, babe?”

“Yes, I am,” Kurt agreed quickly, giving Noah a quick smile as he offered Noah his plate.

Noah took his plate and then looked at the girls questioningly. “You three done?”

“I am,” Mercedes said quickly, offering him her plate with a slightly surprised smile.

Noah took Mercedes’ plate, giving Tina an expectant look. Tina smiled quickly at him, shaking her head. “I’m not done yet.” She still had part of a slice of quiche left that she had just been picking at for the last ten minutes, so Kurt was a little surprised that she intended to finish it. “This is too good to waste,” Tina added, giving Kurt a sweet smile.

“Thank you, T,” Kurt said, picking up his coffee mug and giving Tina a pleased grin. He had gotten the feeling she didn’t really like it, but evidently she was just too busy talking to eat.

Quinn wordlessly offered Noah her empty plates, giving him a sweet smile, and Noah took it as he murmured, “You need anything before I go, Quinny?”

Quinn shook her head quickly. “I’m fine, honey. You should go, you know how Nana Connie is if you’re late.”

Noah snickered, carrying the stack of plates and his glass to the sink as he said, “I’ve got plenty of time. I’m leaving the dishes for someone else to do for a change.”

Carole laughed. “I’ll do the dishes, I don’t mind.”

Noah grinned at her. “Thanks, Aunt Carole.” He moved back around the island that doubled as the dining room table, walking to Kurt and then bending to kiss his cheek. “I gotta go, babe. I’ll see you this evening, right?”

Kurt nodded quickly, giving Noah a happy smile as he reached for Noah’s hand. “We should be heading home by mid-afternoon.”

“I’ll see you this afternoon, then,” Noah said with a pleased grin. “After I finish work I’m going to ride into Dayton with Dean and Sammy, since I don’t really have anything better to do. They want to get a cheap TV so they can hook up their Nintendo, and I’m going to make sure they don’t get lost finding the thrift store.”

Kurt laughed softly. “Have fun with them, sweetheart.”

“I will,” Noah said cheerfully, giving Kurt’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Dean’s always fun to hang out with, and Sam’s good company when he’s not in a pissy mood, so we’ll be fine.”

“I know you will,” Kurt said, smiling up at Noah.

“Don’t forget about our phone date later,” Noah said then, grinning suddenly.

Kurt laughed. “I won’t, I promise. I’ll be happy to grab a latte and talk for a while once we’re all at the mall.”

Noah grinned. “As long as it’s after nine, it’s good for me. If you call while I’m still at temple with Nana, she might kill me.”

Kurt chuckled. “I was thinking around ten.”

“Perfect,” Noah said, grinning as he leaned down to kiss Kurt softly, not lingering for much more than a second. He gave Kurt a sweet, loving smile, and then looked towards Carole and Burt as he said, “Thanks for having me, Mr Hummel, Aunt Carole.”

“You’re always welcome here, son,” Burt said just a bit gruffly, but he was smiling at Noah so Kurt knew he wasn’t upset about how affectionate they were being. He knew is dad didn’t really _like_ seeing them kiss and touch, but he seemed to understand that they just couldn’t resist.

“Anytime,” Carole agreed, looking happy. “Drive safely, and tell Connie I said hello.”

“I will,” Noah agreed quickly, and then looked back down at Kurt and gave his hand a squeeze. “Talk to you later, babe.” Kurt nodded, smiling, and watched as Noah finally released his hand, moving towards the door as he said, “Have fun today, ladies. Don’t let Quinny do too much. She forgets she’s walking for two these days.”

“We’ll keep her out of trouble,” Mercedes agreed with a laugh.

“I don’t need a keeper, Puck,” Quinn said quickly, amused but a little annoyed.

Noah snickered, not slowing down as he headed for the front door, and Kurt couldn’t help but notice how very good Noah’s ass looked in his snug Dockers as Noah said cheerfully, “You so do, momma. Don’t even try to lie.”

Quinn just laughed and shook her head as Tina giggled and Mercedes gave Quinn a grin, teasing, “You kind of do, girl. You do way too much if nobody’s buggin’ you to slow down.”

Kurt was tempted to follow Noah outside so he could get one _real_ kiss before they had to part for the day, but he didn’t want to be too clingy so he tried to talk himself out of it. He realized almost immediately that he was being stupid – Noah seemed to _love_ how affectionate Kurt was – and then he heard the front door open and he knew that he was running out of time to make a decision. He jumped up as he murmured, “I’ll be right back.”

“Uh-huh, get you some,” Mercedes teased, making Tina and Quinn both giggle.

Kurt could feel his face heating up as he hurried after Noah, muttering, “Shut up, Mercedes.”

“It’s so sweet how in love they are,” Carole said then, sounding amused and fond.

“Noah’s lucky he makes Kurt so happy,” Burt replied with a little snort of a laugh. “If he didn’t, I’d have to hurt the kid for bein’ all over him like he is.”

“Kurt’s the same way with Puck, Mr Hummel,” Mercedes pointed out, laughing. “Maybe even worse. He _is_ the one chasin’ after Puckerman right now.”

Kurt stepped outside and closed the door behind him then, glad that he didn’t hear what was said next as he hurried towards Noah’s Ranger, which revved to life as he stepped outside. Noah was obviously about to back out of the drive way, but he saw Kurt and gave him a surprised, concerned look, opening his door again as Kurt hurried around to it.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Noah asked as soon as Kurt reached him, still looking concerned.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Kurt said quickly, still blushing. “I just wanted to kiss you goodbye without an audience.”

Noah smirked, looking happy as he turned sideways in his seat and reached for Kurt to pull him in close between Noah’s knees. “It must be my lucky day today, I swear. First Quinn told me that she’s giving us Beth, and then I get a few minutes alone with you.”

Kurt stared at Noah in surprise. “She is?! Really?”

Noah’s smirk widened into a happy grin. “Yeah, I was sure she had already told you. She sprang it on me this morning while we were pitching papers. I nearly ran over Mrs Carmichael’s mailbox, I was so surprised.”

Kurt giggled, beaming. “I’m so happy for you, sweetheart. I thought she might decide that after the talk we had with Dad and Carole last night, but I was afraid to say anything and get your hopes up.”

“I still can’t hardly believe you did it, babe,” Noah said, his happy grin fading into a sweet, kind of awed smile. “I don’t know how, but I can never thank you enough.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Kurt said quickly, lifting his hands to the sides of Noah’s neck. “It was mostly the others, especially Carole and Dad. I just tried to be there for Quinn and told her we’d still love her no matter what she decided to do.”

“Still,” Noah murmured, “you’re the one who got your dad and Aunt Carole on board with the whole idea.  I’m _never_ going to forget this, babe.”

“Of course you won’t,” Kurt teased gently. “We’ll spend the next eighteen years being parents together.”

Noah grinned, pleased. “I kinda like the sound of that.”

“Me too,” Kurt admitted, smiling happily as he tugged gently at Noah’s neck. “Now kiss me so you can go. You’re going to be late.”

Noah didn’t need to be told twice, leaning further out of the truck to kiss Kurt thoroughly, exploring his mouth as his hands slid around to Kurt’s back and then down to stroke over his ass slowly. Kurt hummed happily into the kiss, moving closer to Noah as one hand slid up into Noah’s hair, loving the feel of the short mohawk against his fingers and palm. He knew he should be pulling away to make Noah leave, but he couldn’t make himself do it. He was addicted to how wanted and loved Noah made him feel, and he didn’t have the willpower to make himself let go just yet.

Noah let out a low purring growl as he gave Kurt’s ass a squeeze a few minutes later, and then he suddenly broke the kiss to stare into Kurt’s eyes as he murmured a little breathlessly, “If I don’t leave soon, I’m gonna forget all about Temple and then Nana’s gonna kill me.”

Kurt blushed even though he was smiling as he admitted softly, “I know. You’re just so tempting I couldn’t make myself stop.”

Noah smirked and kissed him again, quick and hard, then purred, “Hold that thought for tonight, babe. I’m sure we can get away from the girls this evening for a few minutes.”

“Half an hour, at least,” Kurt corrected, smiling wider. “I’m dropping Tina and Mercedes off at home on the way back, so we’ll just have Quinn and Sarah to worry about. You can’t see the back porch from inside the house without opening the back door, so we could have some privacy out there.”

“And Sam and Deano can keep the girls occupied,” Noah agreed, smirking a little more wickedly. “Dean won’t mind, for sure, and Sam’s too sweet to be mean to Sarah when she starts following him around like a puppy again.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kurt agreed with a smirk of his own, leaning to kiss Noah again and then pulling away. “Love you, sweetheart.”

“Lucky me,” Noah replied, still smirking. “I’ll be waiting for your call. I should be done with at least one pool by ten.”

“And I’ll be ready for a rest by then, for sure,” Kurt agreed, nodding as he made himself let go of Noah completely and then move back so he could shut the door of the Ranger. “Drive safely.”

“Always,” Noah agreed as he turned back around and then closed the truck’s door, laying his arm in the open window as he gave Kurt a suddenly serious look. “Be safe today, and remember your promise. No wandering off alone in the mall, okay?”

Kurt nodded quickly, smiling. “I won’t forget. The only time I’ll be alone today is when I go out to the truck so we can talk in peace.”

“Lock the doors when you do, baby,” Noah said with a soft little smile.

Kurt smiled, not bothering to argue. “I will.”

“Thank you,” Noah said, smiling a little wider. “Talk to you then.”

Kurt nodded again, feeling warm and loved as he lifted one hand in a wave. “I’ll call you at ten.”

Noah grinned and blew him a kiss, then backed out of the driveway and roared off down the road fast enough that Kurt was very glad it was so early on a Saturday.

Kurt watched until Noah was gone and then turned to walk back into the house, and he was surprised to see Burt waiting at the door looking unhappy. “Is something wrong?” Kurt asked when he got closer, concerned by his dad’s expression.

Burt stepped outside the house and closed the door, frowning slightly. “Why is he worried about you being alone at that mall, Kurt?”

Kurt smiled and tried to make light of it even as he wondered how long his dad had been at the door, and if Noah had noticed him there. “He just worries about me, Dad. I’ll be fine at the mall, I promise.”

Burt frowned even more. “I thought you promised me you’d never lie to me, Kurt.”

Kurt flushed and looked away. “It’s not a lie, just… Not really answering what you asked me.”

“I want to know why, son,” Burt said quietly. “Don’t make me ask again.”

Kurt took a shaky breath, folding his arms across his chest and looking down as he said quietly, “I’m gay, Dad, and I don’t hide it well. Or at all, really.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I told you that things have been … rough at school because I’m so … out. Noah doesn’t like knowing that people treat me badly, and he worries about me.” He looked up to meet his dad’s gaze, lifting his chin slightly. “But it’s _not_ because of anything that ever happened at the mall, I promise. Noah just doesn’t like knowing I’m alone _anywhere_. That’s when things tend to happen to me at school, so he doesn’t want me to be left to my own devices anymore.”

“What did he make you promise him?” Burt asked quietly, searching Kurt’s eyes.

“Not to go anywhere alone,” Kurt replied quietly.

“And what prompted that?” Burt asked, shifting his stance.

Kurt felt his face heating up but he refused to look away, meeting his dad’s gaze as he said simply, “When he found the bruises the other night he was so angry I was afraid he’d do something stupid, so I promised not to go _anywhere_ alone as long as he wouldn't retaliate. I don’t want him ending up in jail over me.”

Burt sighed, looking down as his shoulders slumped a bit. He was silent a moment and then looked at Kurt again, unhappy and sad. “There’s been a lot you didn’t tell me about, hasn’t there?”

“I don’t want you in jail either, Daddy,” Kurt said quietly. “I’m alright. You know I bruise easily. It hasn’t gotten really bad until recently, and Dean and Noah put a stop to it all.” He smiled slightly. “One of the boys who was the worst even stopped me at Wal-Mart last night to tell me I don’t have to run from him anymore.”

“He’s that afraid of Dean and Noah?” Burt asked, frowning slightly. “And where the hell was Finn while that guy was talking to you?”

“Finn was getting the apples, like I told him to do, while I was at the bakery,” Kurt said quietly. “And the other boy isn’t afraid of anything as far as I’ve ever seen. He and Noah used to be friends, and he wanted me to know he’s not going to bother Noah’s Cheerio, whether I’m female or not.”

Burt frowned even more. “He was _friends_ with the guy who scared you the most?”

“They play football together,” Kurt said with a shrug. “Noah used to hang out with the team a lot, before he joined Glee. They don’t want anything to do with him anymore.” He smiled wryly. “The gay I contaminated the Glee club with might rub off on them.”

Burt looked away, unhappy and looking kind of lost. “I’m sorry people treat you like that, son.”

“It’s okay, Dad,” Kurt said, reaching out impulsively to put his hand on his dad’s arm for a moment before he folded his arms again so he’d keep his hands to himself. He wanted to hug his dad, but he knew that if he did it would just make Burt even more uncomfortable. “It stopped hurting a long time ago. Now it’s just how life is.”

Burt just looked at Kurt for a moment and then seemed to think of something and asked, “Did Noah have many friends off the team? Besides Quinn and Finn, I mean.”

“None,” Kurt said quietly. “He gave up all of his friends for Glee, except for Finn.” He smiled, sad and wry, “And then Mercedes told Rachel that Beth was Puck’s baby, not Finn’s. Rachel told Finn, and when Finn asked Noah he told the truth, so Finn tried to kill him.” He looked down, noticing finally that his dad was wearing the slippers Kurt had bought him for Christmas the year before. “Noah just let Finn hit him over and over until Schue dragged Finn off, and we all could see that Noah’s world had just crashed completely down around him. He had absolutely no one to turn to until Quinn finally realized that he was the only person in her life that was willing to stand by her no matter what she did to him.”

Burt sighed. “I knew he’d had a rough year, but damn.”

“Yeah,” Kurt agreed, looking up at his dad. “He’s been through hell, Dad, and he grew up a _lot_. He’s not the same person he was last year, or even six months ago. He’s always been a good person deep down, but he’s learned finally that if he has to hide who he is in order to keep his friends, then they aren’t really his friends at all. Now he tries to do what feels right to him, not what would make him popular. He’s not at the top of the food chain anymore, but he doesn’t really _want_ to be, either.”

Burt smiled crookedly, looking away. “It’s kinda scary how much he reminds me of myself at his age.”

“He does?” Kurt asked, surprised.

Burt looked back at Kurt, nodding. “I was a lot like Noah until I finally got your mother to talk to me. She didn’t like the things I did to fit in, and she made sure I knew it. By the time we went to prom together, I wasn’t hanging out with any of the people I had been when I first noticed her, but I was so happy to have her that I didn’t care.”

Kurt smiled slowly. “If Noah is _anything_ like you, Dad, then I’m the luckiest person I know, except Beth.”

Burt blinked in surprise and then actually blushed, turning away abruptly to open the front door as he said gruffly, “I don’t know about all that, now.”

Kurt followed his dad inside, smiling a little wider. “I do. Beth will have Noah as a father and you as a grandpa, so she’s obviously the luckiest little girl in the world.”

Burt looked at Kurt, stopping just a few feet inside the door as he murmured, “So Quinn’s keepin’ her?”

“Noah and I are,” Kurt corrected softly, smiling. “But yes. She’s staying with her family, where she belongs.”

Burt smiled. “I’m glad, son.” He turned away and headed for the hall without another word, walking towards his room.

Kurt knew his dad was fleeing the conversation so he didn’t follow him, instead walking quickly into the kitchen.

The last of the dishes had been cleared and Quinn was looking amused but a little frustrated as she leaned back against the counter by the sink, holding a glass of water. “I don’t _need_ a wheelchair. I can walk around the mall just fine, I promise.”

“But Artie never uses his extra chair,” Tina said quickly, “and you’ll have so much more fun if you’re not exhausted from walking around.”

“You know we’re right,” Mercedes added, “and it’s not like we’ll have a hard time taking it with us. It folds up flat, and there’s plenty of room in the back of the Nav.”

“It really is a smart idea, Quinn,” Carole added, making Kurt look at her in surprise. She was in her chair holding a full mug of coffee and smiling as she added, “I’m sure that your doctor wouldn't like you spending a day on your feet right now.”

Kurt looked at Quinn, amused. “He most definitely wouldn't. I seem to recall him saying she was to spend as much time as possible resting with her feet _up_ , not walking all day in a crowded mall.”

Quinn made a face at Kurt. “I’m _not_ going to carry all the bags like you three make Artie do when he goes with you.”

Kurt laughed. “Only your purse, sweetie, I promise. We’ll carry our own things.”

Quinn looked at Tina and Mercedes, who were both grinning as Mercedes said quickly, “I’ll even carry the stuff you get, Quinn.”

Quinn sighed and then nodded. “Alright. I’ll use the chair.”

Tina beamed and bounced up. “I’ll go call Artie and tell him we need to come by and get it.”

“Are you sure he’ll be up?” Carole asked, surprised.

Tina nodded quickly. “He’s always up early, but especially on Saturday. One of his favorite television shows is on at six every Saturday morning, and he never misses it even though the show is almost as old as he is.”

Mercedes laughed. “That boy is _crazy_ about _Fresh Prince of Bel Air_. It’d be sad if it wasn’t so damn funny to hear him try to talk like Jazz.”

Carole and Quinn both laughed as Tina giggled and said quickly, “Shut up, Mercedes, he’s _adorable_.”

Kurt laughed as Tina opened the door to his basement. “Go call him, before he goes back to bed.” He moved to the island to pick up his own phone, adding, “I’m going to call Sarah and wake her up, and then we all need to get ready to go.”

Tina disappeared down the stairs without another word as Mercedes jumped off of her stool, grinning as she walked towards the open basement “Sounds like a plan!” She didn’t give anyone else a chance to speak before she was following Tina downstairs, leaving Kurt alone with Quinn and Carole.

Kurt didn’t dial Sarah’s number just yet, instead walking over to Quinn to hug her gently and then kiss her cheek, smiling at her surprised expression. “What was that for?” Quinn asked softly.

“For giving Noah a chance,” Kurt murmured, smiling a little wider as he took her free hand in his. “For giving _us_ a chance. I promise we won’t make you regret it.”

Quinn smiled. “I know.”

Kurt gave her hand a squeeze. “The same thing applies still, sweetie. We’ll _always_ be here for you.”

“I know that too,” Quinn agreed, nodding and smiling a little wider, looking happy. “I think this is the right thing to do, for Beth and for you and Puck. I know he wants children, and he won’t have another chance.”

“He says we can adopt,” Kurt said quietly, still smiling at Quinn, “but we both know that’s not really the same. Beth is _his_ daughter, and yours, and she means the world to him even though he hasn’t met her yet. She has since the day he found out about her, and he’s only going to love her even more once he can finally hold her.”

“I know,” Quinn agreed, smiling. “No one could love her more than he does. Not even me.”

“She’s a very lucky little girl,” Carole said quietly, making Kurt and Quinn both look at her. She was smiling softly and looked very happy as she added, “And we’re lucky that you’ve decided to let us all be a part of her life, Quinn. Thank you.”

“I had to,” Quinn said simply, smiling at Carole. “I can’t think of anyone who could possibly be better for her than the family she’ll have here.“

“She’s gonna be spoiled rotten, I hope you know that,” Burt said suddenly, making them all look towards the kitchen doorway. Burt was standing there smiling as he added, “She’ll be loved, too, though. By all of us.”

“That’s all I could ever ask for,” Quinn said quietly, smiling even though when Kurt looked at her he saw she had tears in her eyes. “Noah’s determined to be at least half as good a dad as you are, Mr Hummel, so Beth will have an amazing father who loves her very much.”

Kurt looked quickly at his dad as he added, “And an awesome grandfather, too.”

Burt was blushing slightly but he looked really pleased as he said gruffly, “He can do it. He’s a pretty special guy from what I’ve seen this week.” He walked across the kitchen to where Carole was sitting, resting one hand on her back as he bent to kiss her cheek. “I’ll see you at lunch, sweetheart.”

“Of course, dear,” Carole agreed, smiling happily at him. “Are we meeting here or at the café?”

“Breadsticks?” Burt asked, smiling a little wider. “I was thinking Italian for a change.”

Carole smiled even wider. “Sounds wonderful.”

“See you there,” Burt said, ducking to kiss her lightly and then turning to head for the front door as he looked over at Kurt. “Keep your promise to Noah, son.”

“I will,” Kurt agreed, smiling wryly. “Have a good day, Dad.”

“You too, son,” Burt replied, leaving without another word.

Carole waited until the front door closed before she asked, “What did you promise Noah, Kurt? If you don’t mind me asking, that is?”

“I don’t mind at all,” Kurt said quickly, smiling at Carole. “Noah made me promise not to go anywhere alone.” He smiled wryly. “I’m rather obviously gay, and for some reason he doesn’t trust Ohio rednecks as far as _I_ can throw them.”

“He’s a very smart young man,” Carole said, her expression becoming just a little sad. “I’m glad you’re listening to him.”

“I will, I promise,” Kurt said again. “I want him to feel free to do things without me sometimes, so I’ll be very careful.”

Carole looked a little sadder. “And if you don’t?”

“If I somehow manage to get myself hurt, Noah will follow me around every waking moment,” Kurt admitted, smiling wryly. “And truthfully he likely won’t get very far away while I sleep, either, not unless I make him.”

Quinn giggled. “But at least your dad likes him, so he might not have to sneak in to be with you.”

Kurt laughed, giving Quinn an amused look. “There won’t be _any_ sneaking in. If he tries, Dad won’t have to shoot him. I’ll do it myself. Bird shot won’t seriously hurt him, but it will make him think twice about not listening to me.”

“I think you’d better stay safe,” Quinn teased, grinning. “Because if you don’t, he won’t take his eyes off of you, not even if he has to take a bullet every night to be with you.”

“I know, which is why I’m going to be very careful,” Kurt agreed, amused.

“Smart,” Quinn said, laughing softly.

“Sometimes, yes,” Kurt agreed, smiling. He was about to add something else, but his phone suddenly started to vibrate in his hand, making him look at the screen in surprise. He laughed when he saw Sarah’s name, looking at Quinn in amusement as he accepted the text. “Looks like I don’t have to wake Sarah after all.”

Quinn grinned. “I didn’t think you’d have to. She’s always up before seven, even when I don’t wake her up.”

“She’s a lot like her older brother,” Kurt said with amusement, looking down again as he accepted Sarah’s text.

‘ _whn we lvng?’_

Kurt snorted in amusement, and muttered, “But uses even fewer vowels than Noah does.”

Quinn giggled, leaning in close to look at Kurt’s phone and then moving away. “You’re lucky she used any at all. I’m going to go sit down in the living room until you’re all ready to go.”

“Go ahead, sweetie,” Kurt agreed, glancing at Quinn with a smile before he looked back down at his phone, starting to type a response to Sarah. “We shouldn’t be too long.”

‘ _by eight,’_ Kurt typed quickly. ‘ _sooner if possible. we have to get ready and then go by artie’s to get his extra chair for quinn.’_

“No hurry, the couch is comfortable and Noah left his jacket by the front door for me to wear if I get cold,” Quinn said cheerfully, disappearing into the living room.

Kurt laughed. “Be sure you don’t forget to take it with us. You’re always cold at the mall.”

“I won’t forget,” Quinn called back, laughing. “I’m cold now, too.”

Kurt’s phone vibrated again and he accepted the text, snickering when he saw what Sarah sent. ‘ _8?!! n tld me 7!’_

‘ _noah was wrong,’_ Kurt replied, amused. ‘ _he was leaving here by seven and now I have to get dressed so we can go.’_

‘ _ur naked?_ ’ Sarah replied immediately, then followed it with another text immediately. ‘ _& ur dad dint kill him?!’_

Kurt laughed, blushing a bit. ‘ _get your mind out of the gutter, brat. we’re all still in our pajamas. or at least, i am. mercedes and tina are getting dressed which is what i should be doing.’_

 _‘so go,’_ Sarah replied. ‘ _dnt honk whn u gt hr moms slpng._ ’

‘ _i won’t_ ,’ Kurt agreed, amused. ‘ _did you have breakfast? i can stop and get you something on the way._ ’

‘ _im good_. _n got me strwbry pptrts,’_ Sarah replied quickly. ‘ _ttys_ ’

‘ _ttys_ ,’ Kurt looked up as soon as the text sent, smiling when he saw Carole was still sitting in her chair, watching him with an amused expression.

“I’m glad you and Sarah get along so well,” Carole said then, smiling a little wider. “I know how close she and Noah are.”

“I’m glad she likes me too,” Kurt agreed, nodding. “She’s one of the most important people in his life.”

Carole nodded. “She has been since she was born.” She stood up, adding, “Nancy had to go back to work soon afterwards so she wouldn't lose her job, and taking care of Sarah fell to me and Noah right from the start.” She smiled, amused. “Finn didn’t quite have the patience for her, so until she was walking he and Noah didn’t play much together unless she was asleep. Noah took his responsibility as her brother very seriously and couldn’t be budged from her side if she was awake.”

Kurt smiled and started towards his room. “I’m not at all surprised. Sarah is crazy about him and says he’s the best big brother ever.”

“I have to agree with her,” Carole said quietly as she started towards the living room, pausing when she got to the doorway. “He’s going to be a wonderful father.”

Kurt stopped at his own door to look at Carole, pleased and smiling. “I think so too.”

Carole smiled at him and then walked into the living room without saying anything else, and Kurt turned away to walk downstairs, glad he had picked out what to wear the night before so he could just grab his clothes and put them on.

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

 

 

Puck had just changed out of his Dockers into cargo shorts and his ‘Bad Example’ t-shirt, and he had barely flopped down on his bed to pull on his shoes when his phone began to vibrate in the pocket on his right thigh. He pulled out the phone, checking the number and then steeling himself when he saw Helen Kendrickson’s name and the number of her private cell phone. Her husband was a trauma surgeon in Dayton and often worked late nights and weekends because he was so good at what he did, so she spent a lot of time alone and had gotten into a habit of making an appointment with Puck more often than a lot of the ladies he saw. He hesitated only a moment before he accepted the call and said, “Hello?”

“I just found your message on my phone, darling,” Mrs K said quickly, her tone honeyed and suggestive enough to make Puck have to stifle a sigh. She was already tipsy from the sound of it, which wasn’t an especially good sign when he had to tell her she wasn’t getting laid today. “What did you need?”

“Hey, Mrs K,” Puck said quietly, hoping that the sound of his voice wouldn't wake his mom. “Can you hold on just a sec?”

“Of course,” Mrs K said quickly. “I’ve got all the time in the world for _you_.”

“Thanks,” Puck murmured, grabbing his shoes and socks and then heading for the back door.

The last thing he wanted to do was wake up his mom, which was sure to annoy her more than a little. He had plans for that night already, and they didn’t include her getting pissy and deciding not to let him stay at Kurt’s. She usually didn’t give him trouble about where he was on Saturday nights, but he was usually _very_ careful not to wake her up, too. Sarah liked spending time over at Kurt’s, but she liked getting to tell on Puck even more, and she was hell to avoid when their mom told Sarah to make sure Puck didn’t go anywhere. If he waited late enough for Sarah to be asleep before he left the house, then it would be too late for Burt to be willing to let him in to see Kurt, and Puck wasn’t about to try sneaking in. Burt trusted him and he wanted to keep it that way.

Puck was careful to be silent as possible on his way out, closing the back door behind him softly. He relaxed then, moving to sit on the top step as he said in a more normal tone of voice, “Sorry about that, Mrs K. Mom’s got work tonight and I didn’t want to wake her.”

“I understand completely,” Mrs K said quickly, amused. “Larry is a terror if I wake him when he’s working the night shift.” She paused and Puck could hear her swallowing, then she asked, “Now what was it you needed when you called, darling? I _do_ hope you can still make it, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all week, and the hot tub needs your special touch.”

“I can still clean the hot tub today, Mrs K, but before I showed up I wanted to let you know that’s _all_ I’ll be doing from now on,” Puck said, trying not to sound as uncomfortable as he was. He had already spoken to the other ladies who scheduled him that day, and all but two had cancelled as soon as he told them his dick wasn’t for sale anymore. It hadn’t really been a surprise, but it had still hurt a little, especially with Mrs Pierce. Brittany’s mom had known him for years and she had been his first cougar, the one who started him down the road to being a pool boy just before he turned sixteen. “Several of my other customers have said not to bother showing up as soon as I told them, so I didn’t want to waste your time if you feel the same way.”

Mrs K was silent for a moment and then her tone of voice was completely different as she asked gently, “What happened, sweetie? Did someone’s husband catch you and start making threats?”

“No, Mrs K, no one caught me,” Puck said, surprised by how _caring_ she sounded. He hadn’t ever really gotten the feeling Mrs K saw him as anything but a hot young stud that would let her ride him as long as she wanted to – and she usually did, often for an hour or more because she was in awesome shape – but he suddenly wasn’t so sure that was the case. She sounded like she was really concerned about him, which made him want to tell her more than he had told Mrs Pierce or Mrs Fredricks, even though Mrs P and Mrs F had at least said they’d call when their hot tubs really needed cleaned. Neither of them had cared _why_ he wasn’t putting out anymore. Mrs F had just told him not to expect a penny over his base rate ever again when she called him, and Mrs P had actually asked if he had any friends who’d like to take his place. “I’m just in a relationship now, and my—“ He hesitated. “Well, my boyfriend doesn’t like to share.”

“Boyfriend?” Mrs K repeated, sounding shocked. “ _You_ have a boyfriend?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Puck said quietly, “I have a boyfriend. I know it sounds like a lie, knowing how I enjoy myself with the ladies like you do, but it’s not, I promise. I’m dating Kurt Hummel now, and I’m not going to be sleeping around anymore. You can ask Carla, she knows all about it.” Carla was Mrs K’s daughter, a freshman that just happened to be on Pep Squad. Kurt got along better with the other Cheerios than he did with most girls in the school, and Puck knew that Kurt had given up his own rare free time to coach the Pep Squad earlier that year, so Carla was sure to know him pretty well. “She was in the cafeteria the other day when I came out, and I’m sure she’s heard the gossip going around school ever since. She and Kurt are friends, kind of. He’s a Cheerio, and he made time to help the Pep Squad girls with their routines earlier this year when they were having trouble.”

“Carla’s not home,” Mrs K said, still sounding surprised. “I sent her to the mall with her friends and my credit card. I’m sure I won’t see her again until tonight.”

“I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it then, Mrs K,” Puck said with a sigh he couldn’t quite stifle.

“I do,” Mrs K replied. “And I know who Kurt is. I’ve met him, and seen him perform quite a few times. He’s a very … flamboyant young man, but he was very nice and he’s amazingly talented. When she introduced us Carla told me she wouldn’t be head of the Pep Squad without his help.”

Puck smiled softly. “He’s the best there is.” He paused and then added, “I’ve wanted to get with Kurt for a long time, and now that I finally have I’m not going to mess this up. He loves me, and I love him, and that’s all I need.”

“I can’t claim this isn’t a _surprise_ , Puck,” Mrs K said after a moment, “but I have to respect your honesty. Most young men in your situation would just lie, either to me or to the person they were dating.”

“I probably _would_ have lied six months ago,” Puck said with a shrug, looking down at the ground not far from the foot of the steps. “I’m trying not to be that guy anymore, though. I want my little girl to grow up thinking her dad’s awesome, not the kind of asshole I used to be.”

He was sure that Mrs K knew all about him and Quinn. Carla was sure to have told her by now if one of Mrs K’s friends hadn’t. It had been hot gossip all over town for months that he had not only slept with half the women in town but had also knocked up the head cheerleader, who had ended up moving in with him. He’d had even had several cougars ask him how Quinn and ‘the baby’ were doing over the last few months, so he knew that his fucked-up love life was a popular topic in the gossip mill.

“I’m proud of you,” Mrs K said quietly, sounding pleased. “I won’t lie and tell you I won’t miss what we had, but I can’t fault you for your choice.“

“Thank you,” Puck replied, closing his eyes as he relaxed with a relieved smile.

Even if Mrs K told him not to bother showing up anymore, her reaction was worlds better than Mrs Anderson’s threatening to tell the whole town if he didn’t put out, or the way Mrs Larson had begged him to change his mind and then actually _cried_ when he wouldn’t. Mrs A had hung up on him when he pointed out that the whole town already _knew_ he slept with most of the women he cleaned pools for, but he’d spent ten minutes trying to reassure Mrs L that it wasn’t personal and he wasn’t sleeping with _any_ cougars anymore before she finally hung up on him.

Puck was pretty sure Mrs L still hadn’t believed him, but he knew it would be common gossip soon so he hoped that would help her feel better. There were going to be a lot of ladies at her country club complaining to each other about their pool boy not putting out, and he hoped it would cheer her up to know it really wasn’t personal. Her husband had called her a frigid bitch when he left her and she had taken it to heart, and Puck knew that refusing to have sex with her anymore had really hurt her self-esteem, even though that was never something he wanted to do.

“Don’t thank me,” Mrs K said quickly. “I still intend to put you to work when you get through with whatever else you have planned this morning. The hot tub needs cleaned, and I’ve got a frosty cold Dr Pepper waiting for you that I expect you to drink.”

“I _did_ have a full morning planned,” Puck admitted, “but I don’t anymore. Counting yours I’ve just got three hot tubs to do now that the ladies know I’m not doing anything else anymore, so I can come by whenever you want.”

“I’m sorry that they reacted like that, sweetie,” Mrs K said with a sigh, sounding like she really _was_ sorry. “I’ll be home all day, so come by whenever is best for you.”

Puck thought about it a moment, mentally locating the three houses he had to go to in his head, then he smiled. “Would you mind if I start with your hot tub then, Mrs K? One of the ladies doesn’t want me to show until after eleven-thirty, and the other is just down the street from her so I planned to do those two last. I have nearly two hours to kill before I need to head that way, though.”

“Come on over,” Mrs K said quickly, then teased, “Can I at least watch you work, or would that upset Kurt too?”

Puck laughed, pleased. “You can watch all you want, Mrs K. He’s kind of proud that so many women like to look at me, but he’s the only one who gets to touch anymore.”

“He should be,” Mrs K agreed, amused. “He’s a very lucky young man.”

“Thank you,” Puck said, a little surprised but pleased. “I gotta say I think I’m the lucky one, though.”

“I’m glad you’re happy with him,” Mrs K said, sounding pleased. “I’ll see you soon, then?”

“I should be there in ten minutes,” Puck agreed with a wide grin, nodding even though she couldn’t see him.

“I’ll be waiting,” Mrs K said cheerfully, and then a moment later the line went dead.

Puck closed his phone and stuffed it back in his pocket, then quickly tugged his shoes on. If he hurried over there, he could probably get to Mrs K’s house and get her hot tub done before ten. It wouldn’t need anything more than a light dose of chemicals, he was sure. He had been cleaning it every Saturday for almost a year, even though it was always clean because she kept the cover on it almost all the time. She was the only one who ever actually used it, and even she didn’t use it often.

 

~*~

 

Kurt fidgeted impatiently in line, wishing the very well-dressed older woman who had been standing at the counter for a good ten minutes was a little more considerate. The person before her had been done in barely a minute, but the current woman had been standing there _forever_ , despite the barista’s efforts to get her to go have a seat and let someone bring out her order.

Kurt had been forced to bite his tongue to keep from asking out loud if they were busy _milking the cows_ to make her latte with, or what.

Mercedes shifted next to him, rolling her eyes as the woman finally accepted a venti iced café mocha and a cinnamon roll so fresh it was steaming even in a to-go box. “ _Finally_.”

The woman sniffed and gave Mercedes a dirty look as she finally moved away from the counter. “It’s not _my_ fault I had to wait for a cinnamon roll.”

“You could have showed an ounce of consideration for others and moved to let people waiting in line get their drinks while you waited,” Kurt pointed out just a tiny bit sharply. “Like the barista _asked_ you to do. Repeatedly.”

There were agreeing mutters from other people in the rather long line, and the tall redhead behind Kurt added, “You would have expected us to do it if _you_ were the one waiting, you old biddy.”

“Well, I never!” the woman said, clearly affronted, and Kurt spoke before he took time to think.

“Your husband must be past the age of enjoying such things, then.”

The woman drew herself up haughtily and gave Kurt a frosty glare. “At least he’s not a filthy _homosexual_.”

“Neither am I,” Kurt pointed out dryly, giving the woman one of his most withering ‘bitch, please’ expressions. “I shower quite often, though that has little to do with why my boyfriend enjoys being with me a lot more than I suspect your husband enjoys being with you.” He smirked at the woman, adding, “ _My_ man is always _very_ happy to see me, and I take excellent care of him.”

Mercedes giggled, giving Kurt a wide-eyed look that said ‘oh my god, did you really just _say_ that?’ as clearly as if she had shouted it.

The redhead behind them snickered as he added, “You _know_ her guy is with her for her money.”

The older woman let out an angry inarticulate noise and stormed away.

“I can’t _believe_ you just did that,” Mercedes said, giggling as she looked at Kurt, her eyes still wide.

Kurt moved forward with the line as it moved, blushing slightly but keeping his chin up despite how sheepish he felt. “She was inexcusably rude and inconsiderate. She deserved to be taken down a notch.”

“Or ten,” the redhead behind them agreed, snickering. Kurt looked over his shoulder at the man, amused. He was taller than Kurt was by quite a bit, almost as tall as Finn, and dressed like a reject from a small-time punk band in a worn black AC/DC t-shirt and ratty jeans full of holes.

Kurt looked back towards the counter as the line moved again, automatically waving Mercedes to order. “Ladies first, sweetie,” he said cheerfully, giving her a quick smile as he reached into his pocket and drew out his slim black leather wallet.

Mercedes grinned at him and then looked at the barista. “A grande cinnamon dolce latte, a strawberry smoothie, an orange-mango smoothie, and a grande caramel macchiato, please.”

Kurt offered the barista his Starbucks card without being asked, amused as he added, “And a grande cinnamon dolce latte with an extra shot of espresso.”

“Will that be all?” the barista asked, smiling as he took Kurt’s card.

Kurt nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

The barista on the register rang up the order and swiped Kurt’s card as the female barista making the coffee drinks pushed a tray with three drinks on it towards Mercedes. “Here you go!” the girl said, beaming.

“Thanks,” Mercedes said, moving to the side out of the way.

“The smoothies will take just a minute, right down there,” the barista on the register said, pointing towards the other end of the counter, where another male barista was already making the smoothies. He offered Kurt’s Starbucks card back to him with a receipt folded around it, giving Kurt another warm smile. “Have a _great_ day.”

Kurt smiled, taking his card and the receipt to tuck both in his wallet. “Thank you, you too.”

Mercedes was already down by the smoothie station, smirking as she watched Kurt approach. She waited until he was right next to her to nudge his arm with her elbow as she murmured, “He’s totally into you, baby.”

Kurt blinked, surprised, and looked back towards the line as he tucked his wallet back into his left back pocket. The redhead who had been behind them in line was waiting for his order, and Kurt blushed as he realized the man’s gaze was blatantly roaming Kurt’s body. Kurt let out a soft surprised laugh and murmured, “Oh. My. God.”

The redhead’s gaze lifted to Kurt’s face and the guy gave Kurt an inviting little grin just as the barista said loudly, “Here’s your change.”

The redhead quickly looked back at the barista, still grinning as accepted his change and grabbed his drink. “Thanks.” He turned and moved towards Kurt immediately, walking over to where Kurt was standing by Mercedes as he said, “Hi, my name’s Mitch.”

Kurt stared at Mitch, shocked that a complete stranger at _least_ ten years older than him was actually hitting on him. It wasn’t something he had experienced often – or ever, actually, age notwithstanding – and it took him a moment to find his voice again. “Kurt.” He paused and then added, “You _did_ hear me mention my boyfriend, right?”

Mitch grinned a little wider. “Yeah, but I figured I have to take a chance anyway. It’s not like there’s a _lot_ of sexy guys around here that swing my way.”

Kurt’s lips twitched slightly as he tried not to laugh. “You look familiar... Are you from Lima, Mitch?” Mitch nodded, still grinning, and then Kurt said, “Then I’m sure you’ll probably recognize my boyfriend’s name. It’s Puckerman.”

Mitch blinked and then his eyes widened a little. “Oh shit. You’re Puckerman’s new Cheerio? The one he was making out with in the _cafeteria_ the other day? My baby sister’s a senior and she went on and on about how he told Sylvester off for trying to make him stop.”

“Yes, that would be us,” Kurt said dryly, amused. “And he doesn’t share, so you _might_ want to be gone before he comes looking for me.”

“Amen,” Mitch agreed feelingly. “Bye.” He turned and walked quickly away.

Mercedes giggled and bumped her shoulder against Kurt’s, murmuring, “You are _so_ mean.”

Kurt turned his attention back to her and saw she had already put Quinn and Sarah’s smoothies on the tray and was ready to go. He reached to take his drink off of her tray, glad the girl filling orders had marked the lids, and then smirked at Mercedes as he said cheerfully, “No, just refreshingly honest.”

“Uh-huh, sure you are,” Mercedes said with a laugh, starting towards the table where the others were waiting, across the food court. “Just like you called your boyfriend at ten.”

Kurt checked his watched and then squeaked when he saw it was sixteen minutes after ten already. “Shit! He’s going to think I forgot.”

“Only ‘cause you did,” Mercedes said with a laugh.

“Oh, shut up, you!” Kurt said quickly, giving her a dirty look. “Go have fun, I’ll find you when I get done.”

“Whatever,” Mercedes agreed.

Kurt turned and hurried towards Sears, walking quickly and trying to avoid the other people in the mall as he headed towards where he had parked the Navigator. He was just passing the escalators in Sears when his phone began to vibrate in the double-pulse he had set for Noah’s texts. He moved over to one side so he wouldn’t be blocking any traffic as he pulled his phone out of his back pocket, accepting the pending text immediately.

‘ _babe u ok?_ ’

‘ _i’m fine_ ,’ Kurt replied, feeling sheepish. ‘ _sorry sweetheart. i had to stand in line forever at starbucks, but i’m on my way to the nav now._ ’

‘ _cool,_ ’ Noah sent, then followed it with another text almost immediately. ‘ _just finishing mrs k’s hot tub & I got nowhere 2 b til 1130.’_

‘ _wonderful! i’ll call in just a few minutes. xoxo’_

_‘awesome! xoxo’_

Kurt grinned and thumbed the screen lock on his cell and then tucked it back into his right rear pocket as he started to walk towards the south entrance again, no longer in quite so much of a hurry. He wanted to give Noah time to get in his truck and get away from Mrs K, whoever she was, so they could talk in privacy.

Five minutes later Kurt was climbing into the back seat of his truck and then closing the door, locking the doors and then leaning forward between the seats to put his keys in the ignition, turning the truck on so he could run the air conditioning and cool off the stuffy interior. He moved Quinn’s pillows – which were his pillows, actually, stolen off his bed – against one door and then settled back comfortably against them, stretching his legs along the seat and then relaxing as he picked up his latte to take a drink, humming happily because he did love a cinnamon dolce latte, especially with an extra shot in it.

Kurt shifted to get out his phone and then resettled himself comfortably to take another sip of his latte. If the shopping trip that day had been at the Lima mall, Kurt would have been on his way to meet Noah somewhere already, but with him in Dayton, they would have to make do with talking. Since he couldn’t be with Noah, he intended to indulge in a nice long talk with him. Kurt was sure the girls could do without his company until Noah had to go back to work, and Noah would be glad to talk to him as long as he wanted to.

Noah always made time for Kurt, after all, and Kurt was glad to do the same.

 

~*~

 

Puck was about to pick up the plastic tray that held the chemicals he used when he heard Mrs K’s back door close. He looked towards her, watching her approach him with a smile. She had made it plain he wasn’t just a piece of beefcake to her, and he was grateful for it. She had brought him a cold drink almost as soon as he pulled up, and she had settled into a nearby chair to stay nearby the whole time he was working, asking him questions about Kurt and then just listening to him talk. They hadn’t ever really done much talking when he was with her before, and he was kind of surprised by how nice it had been for her to show so much interest in his life.

“Here you go, sweetie,” Mrs K said with a smile when she reached him, offering Puck a folded wad of bills.

Puck accepted the money, giving Mrs K a warm smile as he murmured, “Thanks, Mrs K.” He put the money in his pocket without bothering to count it, sure that he could trust her. “I appreciate you still having me out.”

Mrs K surprised him by stepping in close then to hug him, but he didn’t hesitate to return the hug. It wasn’t like she was a stranger, after all, and she wasn’t trying to get into his pants, so it was actually kind of nice. She held on to him for just a few moments and then pulled away, giving him a warm smile as she looked up at him. “I was glad to, sweetie. I know you’ve got a daughter to support.”

Puck blushed a little and stepped back, suddenly a lot less pleased with the way things had gone as he looked away. “I don’t need charity.”

Mrs K moved closer again and reached up to put her hands on either side of Puck’s face, making him look at her as she said firmly, “You did the job I paid you for, and you _earned_ that money.”

“The hot tub didn’t _need_ cleaned,” Puck pointed out, frowning at her slightly but not moving away. “You haven’t even used it since I dosed it with chlorine last week.”

“Maybe not, but I had already scheduled you to clean it, and you did, so you earned your money,” Mrs K said quickly, her tone of voice leaving no room to argue. “And next time I call you, I know you’ll do the same thing, and do it better than anyone else I’ve ever had taking care of it for me.” She smiled slightly. “Though next time the _pool_ will need a thorough cleaning, so you’ll be here a lot longer. Carla’s having a pool party next Saturday with her friends, and it’s sure to need drained after that.”

“I can’t come out next week,” Puck said, relaxing a bit as he decided to believe her. He didn’t want to be mad at her, not after how nice she was while he worked. He had always liked her, but he hadn’t really understood the feeling was mutual until that morning, and he didn’t want to mess it up. “We’ve got Regionals next Saturday and Quinn’s due any time so I might be pretty busy with Beth, too. I don’t know yet.”

“I’ll call on Friday then, and we’ll see,” Mrs K said, smiling.

“If I can’t come, I’ll find someone who will,” Puck promised, impulsively leaning to kiss her cheek. Mike’s family had a pool that Mike had been taking care of since he was twelve, and Puck had learned most of what he knew from watching him. He was sure he could talk Mike into taking care of Mrs K’s pool for him if he couldn’t do it, especially since Mrs K would be happy to pay Mike his usual rate. He didn’t charge as much as the ‘professional’ pool cleaning service in Lima did, but he still made seventy-five bucks a pop for a pool, and Mike was always broke because his car tended to need repairs fairly often. After the trip to Regionals, Puck was pretty sure Mike would jump at the chance to make some cash. “I know a guy who’ll probably do it for me. He might even be able to come out next Sunday, I’ll have to talk to him and see.”

“As long as it’s someone you trust, sweetie,” Mrs K agreed, her smile widening. “I want you to get back here when you can, though. I don’t mind a substitute if you have to next week, but I’d rather see _you_ than have a stranger here.”

“I’ll make sure it gets done,” Puck promised, smiling back at her. “And I’ll make time to come out myself after that, I promise.”

Mrs K was about to say something else when Puck’s phone began quietly playing a familiar tune. ‘ _Something has changed within me, something is not the same—’_

Puck took his phone out of his pocket, grinning at Mrs K as he said quickly, “I have to answer that, Mrs K, just a sec.”

_‘— by the rules of —‘_

Puck accepted the call without giving Mrs K time to reply, cutting off the music and putting the phone to his ear as he said cheerfully, “Hey baby. You in the Nav finally?”

Kurt laughed softly, sounding happy. “Yes, with the doors locked and everything, just like I promised.”

“Awesome,” Puck replied, barely aware of how his grin widened. “Gimme just a sec. I gotta tell Mrs K goodbye.”

“Of course,” Kurt agreed, amused. “I’ve got a latte to finish anyway.”

“Thanks, babe.”

Puck moved the phone away from his mouth, still keeping it by his ear so he could hear Kurt as he grinned at Mrs K, who was looking pleased as she teased him, “Go on, go talk to your boyfriend. Let me know if I should expect your friend next week or not, alright?”

“I will, Mrs K,” Puck agreed, smiling at her. “I’ll call you as soon as I know.”

“Wonderful,” Mrs K agreed, still smiling and looking pleased. “I’ll talk to you then, sweetie.”

“Talk to you then,” Puck agreed, smiling as he watched her nod and turn away to head back into her house. He moved the phone back towards his mouth, looking down to grab his tray as he said cheerfully, “Alright babe, I’m all yours. Have you been having fun shopping with the girls?”

“Yes, I have,” Kurt agreed, sounding just a little surprised. “You told her you have a boyfriend?”

“Well yeah,” Puck said with a quiet laugh, heading towards his truck as he heard Mrs K’s back door close. “She was worried somebody’s husband was making trouble for me, so I told her why I wasn’t going to be doing anything but cleaning pools anymore.” He let out a little laugh. “Well, pools and hot tubs.”

“She _knew_ you sleep with other cougars?” Kurt asked, sounding even more surprised.

“They _all_ know that, babe,” Puck said, amused. “It’s kinda common knowledge at the country club that I sold my dick along with my pool cleaning skills. I got a lot of business from the ladies bragging on me to their friends.”

“And their husbands don’t care?” Kurt asked, still surprised.

“Babe, rich people are assholes to each other most of the time,” Puck explained as he put his tray in the back of his truck, surprised that Kurt didn’t know that. “Most of their husbands have a secretary they’re banging on the side, or some chick they’re with when they tell their wives they’re working late. The few who don’t have a woman on the side are just too old to bother anymore.”

“And their wives told you all about it?” Kurt asked as Puck got in his truck, sounding amused. “In bed, I gather?”

“No, most of them didn’t talk about their husbands in bed,” Puck said with a little laugh as he settled in behind the Ranger’s steering wheel. “They weren’t thinking about anyone but me by then, babe.”

Kurt laughed softly and teased, “Oh, of course not, because you’re such a stud.”

Puck smirked, starting up the truck. “That’s what Dean said, but if you tell him I told you, I’m gonna have to like, spank you or something.”

Kurt giggled. “He called you a stud?”

“More than once,” Puck agreed, smug as he started driving towards the farm that had been one of his favorite places to hide out when he wanted some privacy ever since he got the Ranger. It was the same farm where he had bent Dean over the hood of his Impala early that morning and fucked him until they were both exhausted, and it was where he intended to park and relax while he talked to Kurt. “And he wasn’t the first person to call me that, babe.”

Kurt giggled again but didn’t say anything immediately, and Puck drove in silence for a couple of miles before Kurt asked hesitantly, “Did you enjoy yourself with him, Noah?”

Puck smiled. He had been sure that one of the reasons Kurt wanted to talk was to discuss what happened with Dean the night before, and he was pleased at the proof he knew his— He searched for the right word for a moment, not really liking boyfriend or lover but unable to think of anything better for a moment before he decided not to bother with labels, pleased he knew his _Kurt_ so well. “Yeah, babe, I did.”

Puck didn’t want to say too much and upset Kurt, so he didn’t volunteer anything, waiting for Kurt to ask another question. After a few moments of silence, Kurt asked, “Have you found somewhere quiet to park yet?”

“Not quite, babe,” Puck replied, turning onto the dirt road that dead-ended near the farm. “I’ll be there in a few minutes, though. How has your day been going?”

“Pretty good, until I got in line at Starbucks.” Kurt let out a soft little laugh. “There was a guy behind me in line that hit on me, even after he heard me mention I had a boyfriend. It was _hilarious_ watching him go all wide-eyed and bolt when I told him your name.”

Puck laughed. “Why did you do that?”

“So he’d go away,” Kurt replied, laughing again. “He looked at _least_ twenty-five, and he was dressed like a reject from a punk band.”

“Was he hot?” Puck asked as he turned into the farm’s driveway, amused that Kurt had been hit on by an older man and – instead of enjoying it and flirting like any girl Puck had ever known – Kurt had used Puck’s reputation to scare the guy away as quickly as possible.

Kurt was quiet for a moment and then giggled. “You know, I didn’t even notice. He might have been, I guess, if you liked his type.”

“Well, what did he look like?” Puck asked, grinning.

“Finn’s height, but more narrow with red hair,” Kurt said, still sounding amused. “He wasn’t at all what I want in a man.”

Puck turned in behind the barn, pulling into his usual spot at the edge of the hay meadow and then stopping the Ranger as he teased, “Oh yeah? And what do you want?”

“Any guy that wants me to look at him twice has to be a sexy, sweet, beautiful man with the body of a god,” Kurt replied as Puck killed the Ranger’s engine. Kurt paused slightly and then added, “And if they want me to do more than look, they have to be named Noah Puckerman.”

Puck knew he had a wide, goofy grin on his face as he settled back into his seat in a comfortable sprawl, but he couldn’t make himself care. He was too damned happy to even consider fighting it. “You’re not gonna find many guys to fit that description, babe.”

“The one I have is enough for me,” Kurt murmured, sounding happy. “You parked now?”

“Yeah, I am,” Puck agreed, still grinning like a fool.

“Where did you park?” Kurt asked.

“At an old abandoned farm I know of,” Puck answered. “It’s—“

“—not far from your house, I know,” Kurt finished for him, sounding pleased. “Santana waxed poetic over going skinny dipping with you there a few months ago.” He paused and then asked, “Does it really belong to your grandfather on your father’s side?”

Puck blinked, surprised. “Yeah, it does. I didn’t tell her that, though, so I don’t know how she knew.”

“She didn’t, until Quinn asked her a few questions and then told us,” Kurt said, and Puck could hear him smiling. “Quinn seemed surprised you would go there at all until Santana told her you spend a lot of time out there with girls. She said it’s your own private lover’s lane.”

Puck let out a soft little laugh, feeling his face heat up. “Nobody’ll catch me with someone out here, and it’s not like a cop can come wandering by and tell me to get off some farmer’s land. Grandpa’s in the nursing home in town, and he asked me to keep an eye on the place for him.”

“Did you take Dean out there?” Kurt asked, and then blurted, “No, never mind. It’s none of my business.”

“Babe, everything I do is your business, if you want to know,” Puck said gently, pausing before he added, “And you’re sure it won’t hurt to listen.”

Kurt was quiet a moment and then said, “I do want to know, and no, it won’t hurt. I’ve told you, sweetheart, I walked into this never expecting you to give up sex with other people.”

“I’m going to anyway,” Puck said, smiling softly. “I want it to be just you and me one of these days pretty soon.”

“I know you do,” Kurt agreed, sounding happy. “And I love you for it.”

“Lucky me.” Puck shifted in his seat, looking out across the meadow as he stretched his legs out further and relaxed, staying quiet for a few moments before he said quietly, “Tell me what you want to know, babe.”

“Anything you want to tell me,” Kurt replied without hesitation. “Especially what it was like and how it compared to what you’re used to.”

“It was kind of awkward at first,” Puck said quietly, resting his head back against the back of the seat and lifting his gaze to the visor above the windshield even though he wasn’t really seeing it. “He wasn’t sure I was into it because I was so nervous, and I wasn’t sure he was into me because he was being so careful not to crowd me, so it took us a little while to get things moving once we got to his place. Once he’d had half a beer and we talked enough to be sure we were both on board, it was good. He’s a good kisser, and I liked how it felt to have him touching me enough that I started getting into it more, even though it was a little weird at first because his hands aren’t anything like yours.” He licked his lips, closing his eyes and remembering the night before. “I ended up naked in his lap while we were making out, and it was actually getting pretty good until he told me to get on the bed on my belly. I kinda freaked out a little, laying there thinking about what was going to happen next.”

“What did happen?” Kurt asked softly, sounding curious and a little breathless.

“He got rid of his jeans and then climbed on the bed behind me, and took his time kissing and touching me to help me relax again,” Puck said quietly. “The way he was acting made me feel like such a girl, but it was kind of nice, too. I mean, every time I thought about him fucking me, I’d go all tense again, but the things he was doing felt so _good_ that it didn’t ever last long. He was kissing my back and touching everywhere and it made me feel like he really cared, like he wanted to know what _I_ liked.” He paused, debating with himself a moment before he admitted, “I’m not used to that.”

“You should be,” Kurt murmured gently.

“That’s not how it is with women, babe,” Puck pointed out quietly. “Not the ones I hooked up with, anyway. They wanted sex to be about _them_ , about what they need. Even the cougars that got off on my muscles and everything didn’t really want to know what I liked, beyond the obvious. They just wanted me to fuck them and make _them_ feel special.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing you’re switching teams, then,” Kurt said, sounding a little amused. “I intend to spend as much time as you’ll let me have exploring every inch of that beautiful body of yours. Just thinking about it is enough to make my jeans uncomfortably tight.”

Puck groaned softly at that. “God, I wish you were here.”

“I wish I was too,” Kurt agreed softly. “Maybe it’s better I’m not, though. If I was, we’d end up doing other things instead of talking, and I really do want to know what it was like.”

“It was the most intense sex that I’ve ever had,” Puck said very quietly, being honest even though a part of him thought it might be a bad idea. “Getting fucked was…” He searched for the words for a moment and then admitted, “It was like I was finally having _real_ sex for the first time. Like, the things I did with women were awesome, but now I kind of feel like that was because I never really knew what I was missing.”

“You liked bottoming that much?” Kurt asked, surprised. “Didn’t it hurt?”

“Not really,” Puck said, shrugging a little even though Kurt couldn’t see him. “It didn’t really hurt, I mean. It was kind of weird when he started fingering me, and it was a little worse whenever he added another finger, but the way he was rubbing that spot inside felt so damn good I’d let you do it right now if I could.” He paused and then added truthfully, “It did burn a little more when he added a third finger, but once he was rubbing that spot again it was all good. I didn’t expect it would be, but it was. I mean, I knew I was gonna like it when it was _my turn_ to do the fucking, but I had no idea that just having fingers up my ass could rock my world like it did.”

Kurt suddenly let out a soft surprised laugh. “You never got curious enough to try it?”

“No, not really,” Puck admitted. “I mean, I tried looking stuff up on the internet one night, but that was worse than useless. Now that I _know_ what it’s like, I know ninety percent of the shit I read was just plain wrong.” He let out a snort of a laugh. “And somehow none of it really said anything about what it felt like to have someone rubbing that spot. That was just…  Wow.”

“I know,” Kurt said softly, giggling slightly. “Evidently I’m a little more adventurous that way than you are, sweetheart. I’ve found my prostate, and it feels _very_ good when I get just the right angle so I can—“

Puck groaned at the mental image, moving his free hand to adjust himself in his jeans as he muttered, “Fuck, baby.”

“Soon,” Kurt murmured teasingly. “First I want to know what it was like when he got through with the preparation part of the evening, though.”

“It was mind-blowingly awesome, once I got used to having a dick up my ass,” Puck answered truthfully, absently running his fingertips slowly along his dick. “It hurt a little because I got so tense when he was putting it in me, and he had to stop and give me a chance to relax again, but then it was awesome. Dean knows exactly what he’s doing and he made sure it was good for me, babe.”

“I knew he would,” Kurt murmured, sounding pleased.

“He kind of scared me afterwards, though,” Puck said quietly, smiling.

“What did he do?” Kurt asked quickly.

Puck shifted a little in the driver’s seat, remembering the night before. “I was kind of shook up by how much I liked it, and we got to talking, and then he went and pointed out something that scared the hell out of me.”

Kurt waited for a moment and then blurted, “Which was…?”

“That it’ll be even more awesome with you,” Puck murmured. “Which is scary as hell, knowing what I do about how it felt to let him fuck me. When it’s you doing it, I might pass out or something.”

Kurt was silent a moment and then asked softly, “Do you really want me to?”

“Like I wanna breathe, baby,” Puck replied without hesitation, even though he could feel himself blushing. It wasn’t something he’d admit to in public, not yet at least, but just between him and Kurt he couldn’t be anything but honest. “It’s scary to think about how intense it’s gonna be, but I still can’t hardly wait for it to be you fucking me and making me see stars.”

Kurt let out a soft little strangled noise and then was quiet a moment before he asked, “How do you know that?”

“Because sucking Dean off wasn’t really all that awesome, and not just because his jizz tastes even worse than mine,” Puck said, smiling. “Sucking your beautiful dick yesterday was _amazing_ , but doing the same thing with Dean didn’t give me the same rush, and sure didn’t have me on the edge of coming without ever even touching myself. When it’s _you_ fucking me, I’m probably gonna make a complete fool of myself.”

“I’ll do the same, I’m sure,” Kurt murmured softly. “I want to make love to you, though, not just fuck.”

“With you it couldn’t be anything else, baby,” Puck said quietly, his smile fading. “I know I don’t say things the right way a lot of the time, but it’s not gonna be fucking when it’s us, not ever.”

“I love you too,” Kurt said quietly, then teased, “Even if you did get me all hot and bothered in the parking lot of a busy mall.”

Puck laughed. “We could always take care of that, babe. The Nav’s got tinted windows, I bet nobody could see you if you move to the back seat.”

Kurt giggled softly, sounding a little embarrassed as he admitted, “I’m already in the back.”

Puck smirked, murmuring, “Does that mean you want to get off together?”

 

~*~

 

Kurt licked his lips, thinking about Noah’s question only a moment before he whispered, “Yes, I do.”

“Then you need to get those painted-on jeans of yours down around your knees, so we don’t get them dirty,” Noah murmured. “Thong too, baby.”

“I’ll have to put the phone down a minute,” Kurt murmured softly, a little surprised by how badly he wanted to do this, despite being in a public place.

“Do it,” Noah said with just a hint of an order to his tone of voice. “Get your clothes out of the way so you can touch yourself for me.”

Kurt shuddered and nodded. “I am.” He set the phone on the console between the front seats and then quickly unfastened his jeans, working the row of buttons on the fly quickly despite how his fingers were fumbling with them. He was shimmying out of his tight jeans and the thong he wore under them only a moment later, pushing both down to his knees before he picked the phone up again, a little breathless as he murmured, “Okay.” He opened the storage compartment in the console with his free hand, reaching in to dig around for a packet of hand wipes he kept in there for emergency cleanups. He usually used them after a meal, but they would work to clean himself up with when they were done.

“What’re you looking for?” Noah asked quietly, his voice low and husky like it had been the day before when they got off together, and the sound of it made Kurt shiver a little as he put the wipes in the floor and started to move the pillows.

“I was getting something to clean up with, after,” Kurt murmured, settling down against the pillows much less upright than he was before so he wasn’t visible from outside the truck unless someone got directly in front and looked between the seats. “Hand wipes.”

“Smart,” Noah murmured, and Kurt could almost _hear_ him smirking. “You comfy again now?”

“Yes,” Kurt whispered, settling the phone between his ear and the pillow. As soon as his hands were free he started to tug up the slinky deep red sweater Mercedes had gotten him and the black t-shirt he wore under it, pulling them all the way up to bunch up under his arms because he would much rather walk around with wrinkles than have to explain how he managed to get semen on them. “What do you want me to do now, Noah?”

“Are you hard, baby?” Noah asked, soft and low.

“So hard,” Kurt agreed, running one hand restlessly over his belly. “Listening to you talk about being with Dean was almost as hot as—” He broke off, feeling his face heating up as he realized what he was about to say.

“Almost as hot as what, babe?” Noah asked, curious.

Kurt shuddered, licking his lips and closing his eyes as he blushed even more in embarrassment. “Almost as hot as the dream I had night before last.”

“What did you dream about?” Noah murmured, and Kurt swore he could hear the smirk in his voice.

“It’s embarrassing,” Kurt replied, feeling like his skin was on fire. The dream had been so very hot, but he wasn’t completely sure he should tell Noah what it had been about. Noah knew he wanted him to enjoy himself with Dean, to explore sex with him as much as Noah wanted, but telling Noah that he had dreamed about watching Noah and Dean put on a very private show for him was a completely different proposition. He wasn’t sure he could take it if Noah managed to arrange such a thing, but he had a suspicion that if he told Noah about it, Noah would make sure it happened.

“Tell me,” Noah said softly, sounding amused. “I won’t make fun, baby, I promise.”

Kurt took a slow shaky breath, still blushing very red as he held his silence a little longer before he finally admitted, “I dreamed about you being with him.” He licked his lips. “Having sex, I mean.” He hesitated and then added very softly, “While I watched.”

Noah let out a low purring growl. “Mmm, sounds _hot_ , for sure.” Kurt heard the sound of a zipper and then Noah added huskily, “I always have enjoyed a good threesome, baby. Makes me want you there with us, if it happens again.”

Kurt whimpered as his cock twitched against his belly, and he moved his right hand to his erection, squeezing gently before he whispered, “I really, _really_ like that idea.”

“Are you touching yourself, baby?” Noah asked, his voice low and hungry.

“Yes,” Kurt breathed out softly, his free hand sliding up to tease one nipple, brushing lightly across it as he moved his other hand slowly on his cock. “Imagining your hands on me. I love the way you touch me, so gentle and _strong_. Makes me feel so sexy and loved.”

“I love touching you,” Noah murmured, then growled softly, “Tell me what you’re doing.”

Kurt swallowed, pinching his nipple between his fingers and enjoying the spike of arousal he felt as he murmured huskily, “Pinching my nipple while I hold my cock with my other hand. It’s good, even though your hands feel better.”

“Fuck your hand for me,” Noah murmured. “Slow and easy.”

Kurt shuddered and lifted his hips to push slowly into his own hand, gasping, “God.” He gathered a smear of precome from the head of his cock to make it easier and then did it again, thrusting into his own tight grip as he imagined Noah’s body clenched tight around him and groaned soft and low. “So perfect.”

“So fuckin’ hot, baby,” Noah muttered, and Kurt could hear the quiet wet sound of Noah’s hand stroking his own cock. “What are you thinking about?”

“Making love to you,” Kurt admitted, his hips lifting again. “Sinking into your tight ass and watching you fall apart on my cock.”

Noah whimpered and then gasped, “Fuck.” He breathed hard a moment, the soft wet noises getting louder as he whispered, “I want that. Want you fucking me hard and fast.”

“I will,” Kurt promised, his hips moving faster as he stopped trying to keep control and just let himself move. “I’ll fuck you so good, Noah.” He shuddered as his cock jerked in his hand, precome dribbling over his fingers and slicking things up more, easing the slide of his hand as he felt the gathering tingle that warned his orgasm was approaching. “Then I want you to bury that gorgeous cock of yours in my ass.” He gasped, hips jerking faster as he approached the edge quickly. “Want you balls deep so bad I can almost feel it. It’s going to be so good.”

Noah let out a low whine and then gasped, “Fuck, baby. I’m so close.”

Kurt closed his eyes, hips jerking as he breathed, “Come with me, Noah.”

Noah groaned and then he was letting out soft little choked noises that Kurt recognized from the day before, and Kurt couldn’t keep back a low wordless cry, his hips jerking with the throbbing of his cock as he came so hard he saw stars even with his eyes closed.

Kurt fell bonelessly back against the soft leather seats again after a few moments, releasing his suddenly over-sensitive cock to let it fall against his belly as he listened to Noah’s ragged breathing and tried to catch his own breath. He had touched himself before, mostly in the shower and probably not as often as most boys his age even though it was often enough that he knew exactly what he liked, but it had _never_ been like that. Touching himself while he listened to Noah do the same thing was easily the hottest thing he had ever done alone, even better than when he fingered himself the first time during a bath one memorable Sunday morning and found his prostate.

“That was so fuckin’ hot,” Noah murmured a moment later, echoing Kurt’s own thoughts and making him smile at how low and rumbly Noah’s voice was. “We’ve gotta do that again sometime, babe.”

“We will,” Kurt promised, shifting a little to get more comfortable. He bit his lower lip, thinking for a moment, and then asked softly, “Better than phone sex with Santana?”

“A million times, is all,” Noah answered without hesitation, sounding a little surprised. “I didn’t have phone sex with her, babe, not more than once or twice. If she wanted me to get her off, she’d just tell me to meet her somewhere.”

“I thought you two were sexting all the time,” Kurt said quietly, remembering how upset Quinn had been when she found out that Noah and Santana were sexting while Quinn was with him.

Noah let out a soft little laugh. “Well yeah, but that’s so not the same thing. I mean, we sent sexts in _class_ all the time ‘cause she’s such a cocktease. It was a game, not like real sex or anything. This, what we did just now? I’ve had actual sex that wasn’t __as good.”

Kurt smiled, feeling warm all over. “It was pretty nice.”

“Nice?” Noah repeated, and then he let out a low husky laugh that made Kurt shiver. “Babe, that was _fan-fucking-tastic_ , not _nice_.”

Kurt giggled softly, reaching for the packet of wipes in the floor as he murmured, “It really was.” He opened the wipes, taking one out and hoping the strong citrus scent would be enough to get rid of the smell of sex clinging to him as he added, “I knew it would be better than touching myself is when I’m alone, but that… It was almost as good as yesterday.”

“Almost,” Noah agreed, sounding smug. “What’re you doing?”

“Cleaning up,” Kurt replied, blushing as he ran the wipe over his belly to clean up the streaks of semen there, glad he hadn’t gotten any on his clothes.

“I wish I was there,” Noah murmured, husky and low. “I’d lick you clean.”

“I wish you were here, too,” Kurt agreed quietly. “I’d really like for you to be holding me right now.”

“Next time we get off together, I will be,” Noah promised, sounding determined. “I want to suck your dick again and watch you fly apart at the seams while I swallow every drop, then hold you until you’re ready to go again.”

Kurt shuddered at the way that made his cock twitch slightly. “Stop that. I need to clean up, not get even more messy.”

Noah laughed, soft and low and so sexy it made Kurt bite his lip as he listened to Noah murmur, “Want another round already, huh?”

“I always want you,” Kurt admitted quietly. “It doesn’t matter if I just came or not.”

“I feel the same way,” Noah agreed, quiet and sincere. “I can’t wait until we can finally have sex without breaking our promise to your dad.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Kurt said, changing the subject a bit as he got another citrus-scented hand wipe and carefully cleaned his cock, which was still feeling a little sensitive. “It would mean waiting a few extra days, but what do you think about getting a couple of hotel rooms, after Regionals? Quinn won’t feel like a four-hour ride home after we perform, and we could have some real privacy together finally. I can put them on my credit card, so we wouldn’t even have to pay for them immediately.”

“Sounds awesome to me,” Noah said quickly, sounding pleased. “I’ve been kind of worried about her doing so much and then having to ride in the Nav for so long. It’s a lot more comfortable for her than my truck or the school bus, but it’d still be hell on her back.”

“I know,” Kurt agreed, “which is why I was trying to think of another solution.” He felt his face heating up a bit as he dropped the second wipe on the first in the floor and then got another one, admitting, “And I kind of want our first time to be somewhere we can lock the door and be sure there won’t be _any_ interruptions, no matter how noisy I get.”

“I like the idea, babe,” Noah agreed, “definitely.”

“That’s what we’ll do then,” Kurt said, smiling as he ran the wipe slowly over his belly and crotch one last time, just to be sure he got clean. “If Dad will let us, that is. I’m sure he will. He cares about Quinn and Beth too, and he doesn’t mind the idea of us being together anymore, not really.” He paused and then asked, “What about your mom, though?”

“Saturday nights are mine,” Noah said firmly. “She won’t like it, but I’m almost eighteen and she’s not gonna tell me I can’t spend the night with you. If she does, I’ll just do it anyway.”

Kurt sighed, using another wipe to wash his hands. “Noah, I don’t want her to hate me.”

“She won’t babe,” Noah said quickly. “She won’t hold what I do against you. She knows nobody can make me do anything I don’t want to do.”

Kurt smiled as he teased, “I make you do things for me all the time, like going to math class.”

“No one else can, though,” Noah said, sounding a little amused. “And she doesn’t know I’ll do almost anything you ask me to do.”

“Only almost?” Kurt asked, laughing softly.

“Yep,” Noah agreed. “I won’t hurt you, and I won’t let you hurt yourself. Anything else, I’m willing to be persuaded.”

“I like the sound of that, actually,” Kurt admitted, sitting up as he dropped the last wipe and then began to tug his t-shirt back down. He looked towards the front of the truck, his eyes widening a bit when he saw the clock in the dash. “I hate to go, sweetheart, but the girls are going to start worrying about me soon.”

Noah sighed. “Yeah, and I should go get to work. I’ve got two more hot tubs to do before I head over to Dean’s.” He paused and then added, “And I wanted to pick up my lawn mower while I’m this close to home. His yard’s so high it looks like that scene in Jurassic Park with the raptors in the grass. Wading through it, I half expect something to leap out and try to eat me.”

Kurt laughed softly and then teased, “And that’ll give you a chance to work on your tan and show off for him a little.”

“I was planning to work on my tan some more, yeah,” Noah agreed, sounding just a little sheepish. “I doubt he’ll watch, though. Sammy will be there, and Dean’s serious about not letting Sam find out he’s bi. I think he’d rather die.”

“It’ll be amusing if Sam ends up being the one watching you,” Kurt murmured, amused. “I’ve caught him looking at you several times.”

“Seriously?” Noah asked, sounding surprised. “ _Sammy_?”

“Yeah, Sammy,” Kurt agreed, laughing softly. “He’s very sweet and Brit says he doesn’t act like other boys do, in bed or out of it. She’s thoroughly infatuated with him after last night.”

“Kid really did rock her world, huh?” Noah asked, and Kurt could hear him grinning. “I knew she took his v-card. He woke up when me and Dean got to their place last night, and he had a steak with us around two.”

“Her _and_ Santana,” Kurt pointed out, amused that Dean and Noah had eaten steaks as a late-night snack. It sounded like something his dad would do. “And yes, he definitely surprised them. Brit’s phone was on speaker when she called to talk about it this morning, and she and Santana were both impressed. Brit said he’s hung almost as good as Mike, whatever that tells you, and Santana said that if she didn’t know better she’d think he had been taking lessons from you in pleasing a girl. He follows orders _very_ well, evidently, and she said she had never seen a virgin with so much stamina.”

Noah laughed. “Well, good for him!” He paused and then added, “I never saw Mike hard or anything, but I figure he doesn’t have anything to be ashamed of. He’s hung almost as well as Dean, unless he’s one of those guys that doesn’t get any bigger when they’re hard. Dean’s definitely a grower.”

Kurt hesitated a moment, debating asking, then blurted, “How does he compare to you? Dean, I mean, not Mike. I so don’t need to know anything more about Mike’s package.”

Noah sounded pleased and smug as he replied, “Dean’s dick is about as long as yours, but a little thicker and darker. Doesn’t curve up towards his belly as much, though, and his balls hang a little lower.”

Kurt thought about that for a moment, picturing Dean naked and hard, then blushed as he realized he had been asking Noah about another man. “I shouldn’t be asking you about that. I’m sorry.”

“Babe, I don’t mind,” Noah said, sounding amused. “Sex is one of my favorite topics, you know that.”

“I know, but still,” Kurt said, still blushing. “Asking you about someone else’s cock is just _wrong_.”

“It’s not,” Noah disagreed, still sounding amused. “Not unless you think it was wrong for me to tell you about what it felt like, letting him fuck me.”

“That was hot,” Kurt said, sheepish.

“And me talking about his dick isn’t?” Noah asked teasingly.

Kurt hesitated before he admitted after a moment, “It was. That’s why I felt guilty.”

Noah was silent for a minute and then asked quietly, “Are you _really_ okay with me having sex with him, babe?”

“Of course!” Kurt said quickly, surprised by the abrupt change of subject. “I _want_ you to. He’s one of your best friends, and you two have fun together.”

“Then you shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting him too,” Noah pointed out gently, sounding just a little bit amused again. “He’s a sexy guy, and he’s a lot of fun to be around, babe. I’d have to wonder a little bit if you _didn’t_ like him.” 

Kurt thought about it for a minute or two, truly considering why he felt guilty. “I don’t mind sharing you with him, sweetheart, not at all. I just don’t really feel like I should expect you to do the same thing.”

“I wouldn’t, with anyone else,” Noah said. “It wouldn’t bother me with Dean, though. He’s—“ He broke off there, obviously searching for the right word.

“Special?” Kurt finished for him, wondering if Noah even realized that he didn’t really see Dean as just a friend.

“Well, yeah,” Noah agreed softly, sounding a little embarrassed. “Thinking about _anyone_ else touching you makes me want to hurt them, but with Dean, I don’t know why, but it doesn’t bother me. It _used_ to, but it doesn’t anymore.” He let out a soft little laugh. “Though if it ever happens, I better be there. I want to watch.”

Kurt giggled. “I promise not to have sex unless you’re there to enjoy it.”

Noah sounded pleased and smug as he murmured, “You know I’ll hold you to that promise, baby.”

“Good,” Kurt replied, smiling. “I’m not sure I could ever trust anyone else to touch me like that unless you were with me.”

“Seriously?” Noah asked, surprised.

Kurt nodded even though Noah couldn’t see him, blushing a bit as he looked down at where his jeans were bunched up around his knees still. “You make me feel safe, no matter what we’re doing.” He paused and then admitted, “I mean, I trust Dean more than any other guy I know except Finn or Mike, and I feel safe with him, but that’s not _sex,_ you know? I’m not sure I could go there with him.” Kurt hesitated and then added softly, “Or with anyone but you, really.”

Noah was quiet for a minute or two before he finally spoke, sounding a little awed and happy as he murmured, “I won’t ever make you regret trusting me, Kurt. I swear.”

“I know you won’t,” Kurt agreed, smiling softly as he settled back in the seat again, grabbing one of his pillows to lay it across his naked lap because he was getting a bit cold in the air conditioned truck. “I’ve known that for a long time, sweetheart.”

They were both silent for a few minutes before Noah murmured, “Thank you. For giving me a chance, I mean.” He swallowed hard, and then added softly, “For believing in me.”

Kurt lifted his free hand to his heart as it felt like it might just _burst_ with love, making him smile so wide it almost hurt. “I’m the one who should be thanking you, Noah. I can’t imagine going back to what my life was like before I had you. I was so lonely and scared, all the time, and you’ve made me feel so safe and loved that I can’t even put it into words.”

“I’m glad,” Noah whispered. “I want to. Make you feel that way, I mean. I’ve never been this happy before.”

“I love you too, Noah,” Kurt said softly. “So very much.”

“I’m the luckiest guy ever,” Noah replied, sounding happy.

Someone tapped on the heavily tinted window to Kurt’s left then, making him look that way, wide-eyed. The silhouette was familiar even before Mercedes moved to the clear driver’s window, tapping again as she called, “Kurt? You okay in there?”

Noah chuckled softly. “You’d better go, baby, before Aretha climbs in with you.”

Kurt giggled, waving to Mercedes and then holding up one finger to let her know he needed a minute, even though he knew his face had to be beet red as he said quietly, “I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

“Count on it,” Noah agreed. “Call me if you need anything.”

“I will, I promise,” Kurt agreed, amused that Noah said that to him so often before he hung up the phone. “Love you.”

“Back at you, baby,” Noah replied softly, and then he hung up.

Kurt giggled, beaming happily as he dropped his phone by him on the seat. Mercedes tapped on the window again and he looked at her, blushing at the way she was looking at him, kind of annoyed but knowing. “Unlock the door, Kurt. It’s hot out here and I’ve got all of our bags so far.”

Kurt felt his already red face heating up more as he leaned to crack the rear driver’s side window and then said, “Turn around and give me a second, first.”

Mercedes’ eyes widened and then she whirled around, putting her back to the Navigator. “Oh. My. God! Tell me you didn’t!”

Kurt hurriedly leaned his shoulders back against the seat, dragging his jeans and thong up to the top of his thighs and then taking a moment to tuck himself into the pouch at the front of the thong. He tugged the jeans up the rest of the way and then started buttoning them quickly, mortified as he finally said, “He’s my _boyfriend_ , and I _missed him_. I couldn’t help it.” He paused slightly, adding, “I’m decent now.”

“In the _car_?” Mercedes asked, turning back around to stare at him through the open window. “Seriously?”

Kurt buttoned the last button of his jeans, feeling like his skin was on fire as he blushed well down his chest. “It’s my car, Mercedes.” He leaned to hit the button for the door lock, scooting over as he kicked the used hand wipes under the front passenger seat and added, “It’s not like anyone saw me or anything.”

Mercedes opened the door and put the bags she was carrying into the back before she climbed into the car next to him, closing the door and then twisting in the seat to stare at him. “Kurt, you’re starting to scare me.” Kurt rolled his eyes and looked away from her, and then Mercedes reached for his arm to grab it, making him look at her again in surprise. “I’m _serious_ , Kurt,” she said, frowning. “The things you’ve been doing recently, the way you’ve been acting? It isn’t _like_ you.”

“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think, Mercedes,” Kurt said quietly, meeting Mercedes’ gaze despite his blushing. “I’ve never felt like this before, not about _anyone_. I love Noah more than I ever thought I could, and I know he loves me just as much. I’m not going to try to hide that, not for anyone.”

“What about Finn?” Mercedes asked, letting go of his arm and pulling back a little. “You were in love with him.”

“No, I wasn’t,” Kurt said quietly. “I _thought_ I was, ‘Cedes, but it wasn’t anything like what I feel for Noah. What I felt for Finn was just a crush, I know that now.”

Mercedes pursed her lips, staring at him for a few moments before she said quietly, “But having sex in _public_?”

Kurt felt his face heating up even more. “No one could see me, and it wasn’t _sex_ , just…” He looked away, unable to meet her gaze as he admitted, “Just getting off.”

“Phone sex is _still_ sex,” Mercedes pointed out quietly. “And you shouldn’t let him talk you into stuff like that, Kurt.”

Kurt looked back at Mercedes. “He didn’t start it, I did.” Mercedes’ eyes widened in surprise and Kurt nodded. “I’m sorry if it messes up your mental image of me, ‘Cedes, but I _am_ a guy. I _like_ sex with my boyfriend, and I love knowing that I can say a few words and make him forget everything but how I can make him feel. I had him call me this morning _planning_ to … spend a little quality time with him. I miss him, and I love him, and I love the way he makes me feel like I’m the sexiest thing he’s ever seen. Nobody has ever treated me like he does.”

Mercedes stared at Kurt for a few moments and then said very quietly, “I guess I just got so used to you hanging out with us girls, I sort of forgot you’re not really one of us.”

Kurt reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze with a soft smile as he murmured, “Everyone does.” He laughed slightly and then added, “Except possibly Noah. He’s glad I’m not a girl. According to him, his girlfriends always used denying sex to try to get his attention, instead of actually encouraging him like I do.” He grinned impishly. “For future reference? The whole carrot and stick idea works wonders with the right carrot.”

Mercedes giggled slightly, then seemed to realize something and looked down at his hand, letting go of it as she glanced at the package of hand wipes still in the floor and then back at him. “You better be heading straight to the bathroom to wash your hands, Kurt. I _know_ I am.”

Kurt blushed, laughing. “I am, I promise, even though I already wiped them really good _twice_.”

Mercedes looked amused. “And you better open the sun roof to let the truck air out,” she added pointedly. “Or the girls are going to know exactly what you were doing, _including_ Sarah. She’s a kid, sure, but Puck is her big brother and she’s not stupid.”

Kurt felt his face heating up again as he leaned to open the center console between the front seats, not looking at Mercedes as he rummaged inside. “I’ve got air freshener. I’d better use it too.”

Mercedes let out a snort of a laugh. “Yeah, you’d better.” She leaned to reach along the driver’s door and unlock it, and then opened her door to get out, adding, “I’ll turn the truck off while you clean up the stuff you threw in the floor.”

“Thanks,” Kurt said, beet red but grateful as he finally found the small bottle of Oust air freshener. He usually used it to get the smell of French fries out of his truck, but he hoped it would work as well to clear out the smell of sex. He could hardly even smell it, but if Mercedes had commented on it, he knew it must be obvious. He had just gotten used to it.

“You’d do the same for me,” Mercedes pointed out, and then she slid out of her seat, moving to open the driver’s door.

Kurt waited for her to lean into the Navigator and turn off the engine, then in the sudden silence he said quietly, “Count on it, sweetie.”

Mercedes grinned at him and then backed out of the driver’s doorway, taking the keys with her as she said, “Come on, everyone’s waiting.” She closed the driver’s door firmly, and then she moved to the back door again, adding, “We found some things you’ll love at Macy’s. Quinn is watching them for us while Tina and Sarah try things on.”

“Alright, I’m coming,” Kurt agreed quickly, spraying the air freshener around in the car and then dropping the air freshener bottle and the hand wipes back into the console and closing it. He put his phone back into his back pocket, dropping the pillows into the back and then gathering up the dirty wipes out of the floor to put them in his empty latte cup, closing the lid and then scooting towards the door to get out.

“Straight to the bathroom, boy,” Mercedes repeated, looking somewhere between amused and disgusted.

Kurt made a face at her. “ _Yes_ , Mercedes. I’m _going_.”

Mercedes snickered, closing the door and then using the remote to lock the truck as they started back towards the mall together. “Two weeks ago you would have been disgusted by the _idea_ of getting off in your baby.”

“Two weeks ago I didn’t know it could be so much fun,” Kurt countered, blushing even though he had to grin.

Mercedes laughed and hooked her arm through his as they walked together, teasing, “Sounds like _somebody_ didn’t know what he was doing.”

“Oh shut up!” Kurt said, laughing too. “I can’t help it that it’s a lot more fun with Noah.”

Mercedes snorted, grinning. “Of course it is. You think he’s sexy.”

“Oh, don’t even try that,” Kurt said, grinning at her. “You think he’s sexy, too.”

“He’s okay, if you like the type,” Mercedes agreed, amused.

Kurt just laughed, knowing she wasn’t going to admit anything more than that even though she _did_ like Noah’s type. Mercedes liked a man with a beautiful body just as much as Kurt did, though she was much less likely to admit it unless she was in just the right mood. That was one of the reasons she had first been drawn to Noah, Kurt knew, and the main reason she had ever agreed to date him, even if only for a week or so.

Mercedes hadn’t ever really noticed Matt at all until they were all getting dressed for practice one day and Mike stole Matt’s shirt. Noah had always made a habit of showing off his body, wearing tight t-shirts that displayed his magnificent physique beautifully, and Mike was almost as shameless, but Matt worked so hard to hide his body that it had been a shock to everyone to see him shirtless as he chased Mike trying to get his shirt back. Matt was as muscular as Noah was, and he had looked good enough without his shirt that most of the girls had stared at him so blatantly that even Mr Shue noticed. Matt still wouldn’t change in the dressing rooms, instead taking his clothes to the nearest bathroom to change in a stall.

Kurt had managed not to stare, of course, but only because he had taught himself young never to look at another boy unless that boy was fully dressed. Being accused of ogling someone wasn’t just embarrassing, but dangerous, too.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... And that’s where I got blocked. I know the story isn’t finished (not by a long shot!) but most of the rest of it is covered pretty well in _‘Dancing Days’_ and I hope that someday this Kurt and Puck will start talking to me again and let me come back to their story. I’m not going to hold my breath – I’ve been blocked on this for a year now – but I’ll keep hoping and trying, and maybe one of these days I’ll get a nice surprise and they'll let me do a few shorts about them or something. I hope so anyway!
> 
> If you want to pick up reading the rest of the story from here, chapter six of _‘Dancing Days’_ picks up a couple of hours after this ended. (Yes, this behemoth covered just four chapters of _‘Dancing Days’_. I really need to learn how to not run off at the fingers one of these days!) _'Dancing Days'_ doesn't tell all of Kurt and Puck's story, but it tells enough not to leave you feeling like it's unfinished, I hope.
> 
> Oh, and any glaring/annoying continuity errors you find? _Please_ let me know. I tried to get them all, but I likely missed a few small things. With me and two stories so long and so thoroughly linked, it's kind of inevitable. lol
> 
> Gizy


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